Environmentalists have crossed the Rubicon

Despite the compelling lack of evidence to link man-made carbon dioxide emissions with constant climate change, the environment movement is in overdrive seeking the imposition of an ETS to bring about a change in our energy use.

Climate realists continue to push for open and transparent debate on the science used to justify reductions in carbon dioxide emissions and that is resisted at almost every turn. That they continue to seek empirical evidence is hardly surprising given the continuing exposure of manipulation and fraudulent data, such as the hockey stick graph (PDF 188KB), promoted so keenly in the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change Third Assessment Report, but absent without explanation in the Fourth Assessment Report.

While efforts to find efficiencies in energy use and replacement forms of energy are to be applauded and supported, the introduction of the proposed, prostituted ETS will not provide a good environmental outcome but will divert massive resources away from genuine environment issues.

The notion that spending $120 billion to reduce Australia’s 1.5 per cent of emissions by 5 per cent is a good idea is preposterous.

Harking back to Peter Spencer and thousands of other hard working farming families that have been devastated by our compliance with the Kyoto Protocol and one could ask: for what gain? Political point scoring by the Howard government, aided and abetted by an indifference of city based media and the populace at large to an unseen and marginalised group in society. But, citizens of a supposedly fair and just Australia all the same. We have collectively basked in the righteous glow of meeting our Kyoto targets, while ignoring the cost borne on our behalf by rural communities.

Divide and conquer, incremental campaigns that see rural communities further marginalised with little fallout in city based electorates that are the green movement heartland, ambit claims and a willingness to distort the truth manifest itself in an attitude that the end justifies the means: this has unfortunately become the hallmark of environmental campaigning.

Environmental advocacy needs to return to an evidence based approach in order to serve people, communities and the environment, rather than ideological agendas promulgated by minority green groups practised in manipulating the political system to their own advantage.