Is the Kyoto Protocol just a cop out?

I suspect that, because of the lack of information about what people can do, they see the Kyoto protocol as an easy cop out: a way for government to be seen to be doing something without the people really having to bother to get involved. Sadly, the reality is different.

If a carbon tax is inevitable (as I believe it is), then consumers will end up paying most if not all of it. Food prices will be higher; electricity and fuel prices will go up; no part of our economy will escape the financial impacts of a carbon tax, except one: energy efficiency. The more you reduce your energy usage, the more money you save. It seems a pretty obvious message, but no one has been seriously pushing it since the oil price shocks of the 1970s.

Finally, with regard to the UK government’s Stern report, Bjorn Lomborg, author of The Skeptical Environmentalist, believes it’s a seriously flawed document - (see On Line Opinion). But whether this article is an accurate summary of present day and next century costs or not, there are so many things that the Howard Government can do that will make a worthwhile difference in the medium to long term.

For example, a compulsory annual improvement in motor vehicle fuel efficiencies of, say, 1 per cent a year would make economic as well as environmental sense. A rebate of GST on solar hot water systems and roof insulation for existing dwellings would stimulate both industries and reduce energy consumption in the home.

If 90 per cent of Australians really want the federal government to act on the GHG emission issue, they should walk the walk, even if its costs them a little more money in the short term. We can all make a difference if we choose to get involved, but making us feel guilty about our per capita GHG emissions will be self-defeating and make no difference in the longer term.