Energy Efficiency

Last night (Oct 20th) I saw an advertisement where a ‘coal miner’ used various tactics to intimidate, reason with or do a snow-job to convince the public that jobs were at stake by meeting the ETS (emission trading scheme).

What is clearly an initiative by the Coal Industry, they want to only pay for emissions post coal being burned.

What is it?

• Combating climate change is an urgent global issue.   This is Correct
• ETS A) are being considered in most major developed countries and B) are being phased in sensibly in Europe.  A) is Correct and B) Incorrect; the whole life cycle process must be included when working out the contamination known as global warming; financially punishing drug addicts rather than the people making the drugs makes as much sense.
• Aim to reduce greenhouse emissions over a time.  Incorrect, by the time self regulation or a watered down ETS takes effect, it will already be too late.
• However, the government’s proposed scheme (called CPRS – Carbon Pollution reduction Scheme) is flawed. It’s the only scheme in the world that taxes emissions produced during coal mining. Incorrect, it is not flawed, it rightly appropriates energy consumption and the wastes from that consumption as part of the whole process (see drug analogy above).

Who will it affect?

• It is projected this new tax will result in 16 mines closing prematurely. It will cut thousands of jobs in the coal industry.  Fact; what this clearly demonstrates is that the coal industry knows the emissions from these 16 mines is far in excess of any environmental / financial benefit. Do we really want mines with old technology to pollute the environment ?  While this may result in some job losses, the required land restoration will create ‘thousands’ of more jobs.
• For every direct coal job lost its estimated that at least two more jobs will go with them – mainly in regional towns. Fact; Coal companies already have more coal mines to come on stream to replace ones to phased out. Job losses in regional towns are far more adversely affected by drought; financially supporting a profitable business that already obtains hundreds of millions of dollars in federal government hand-outs to pay for a few extra jobs is hardly good management.
• Unemployment in some regional areas will rise even more. Property prices could be impacted. Many families will have to move away to find new lives and employment.  Fact; When the mines are no longer profitable, the coal mining companies will pull out without any concern for the region; and property prices driven up dramatically by the mines will stabilize, making housing more affordable.

The worst part

• World demand for coal is predicted to increase for many decades. True, but this actually means more greenhouse gas emissions, not less; when you’re in a big hole, its not logical to keep digging. We need to focus on energy efficiency and alternative energy sources like solar power; Australia receives in excess of 100,000 times it’s energy use from the Sun every day.
• When Australian mines are forced to close and we export less coal than is needed, coal mines overseas will immediatley produce more to fill the gap. False; the reason we export coal is because other countries coal reserves are diminishing; why pay for coal if you’ve got your own.
• Therefore, Australia will close mines lose jobs and vital export income, all for no reduction in global emissions. Wrong; The quality of our coal is superior, so we will retain much of our market, but every market is already shrinking due to the global economic crash (which will never reach those heights again) and remember, other countries will still be taxed on their coal emissions.

The Green Mafia is a name given to the Fossil Fuel industry in Australia, they have the governments ear so much so, that for every $1 alternative energy receives for solar power technology and all others, the fossil fuel industry receives more than $10,000.

In my email – which I doubt the coal association will forward on, I said ….’Imposing a emissions trading scheme that includes extraction of any fossil fuels (coal, oil or gas) is the correct method that all countries around the world should implement.  Misinformation and spin-doctoring by the coal or any other industry is but a childish way to manipulate the outcome to suit their / your own vested interests … Carbon capture / geo-sequestration will never work. Suck it in and be a good corporate citizen for a change, instead of pollution the very country that provides you work, puts money in your (large) pockets and keeps your families in a lifestyle envied by the majority of other Australians’.