We Can't Pay We Won't Pay - the Carbon Tax gap in public logic that no one's closing.

Why is it that tsunamis always obliterate farms, villages and tropical islands and miss densely populated cities such as Tokyo? 

I'm not trying to be funny by asking seemingly irrelevant questions.
But this sprang to mind after I asked another question: 
Are the earthquakes and natural disasters the planet's way of reducing greenhouse gas emissions?
Reasoning: Get rid of the species causing the problem, or at least reduce the problem.
Maybe there are other considerations which we are not yet aware of in the way climate change affects the Earth's crust?
All you see is that there's a gap in my logic.

 

(This is a gap. This is a gap. This is a gap. This is a gap.this is agapthisisagapthisisagapthisisagap...)

 

How is it that so few people seem able to see the gap as wide and as high as the tsunami that hit Japan in this country's thinking about what should be done about climate change?

 

(This is a gap. This is a gap. This is a gap. This is a gap...his is a gap.this is agapthisisagapthisisagapthisisagap...)

In the polls we cry: "Do something!"

(This is a gap. This is a gap. This is a gap. his is a gap.this is agapthisisagapthisisagapthisisagap......)

 

The Climate Institute's 2010 exit poll on the night of the election of a hung parliament found that 32 percent of Green voters would have voted Labor - if Julia Gillard had shown leadership on Climate Change and not delayed the Carbon Pollution Reduction Scheme.
Labor could have won outright and had a mandate to take action - instead they lost the farms and villages. 
And Opposition Leader Tony Abbott insists that people flat out don't want change.
All the surveys show that Australians do want action on climate change but they're petrified of taking their private "Tokyo" down.

(This is a gap. This is a gap.this is agapthisisagapthisisagapthisisagap...

How you ask the question makes the difference. 
For instance, the Climate of the Nation survey taken by Auspoll for the Climate Institute last year asked people: "Do you want cheaper clean fuel through large-scale development of solar, geothermal and wind power?"
Only one percent of respondents opposed it.

(This is a his is a gap.this is agapthisisagapthisisagapthisisagap... is a gap...)

 

And at least three-quarters of those surveyed wanted either a "detailed plan to change Australia using cleaner sources of energy" and/or they want "a plan to reverse our rising pollution in the next three years" - btw, that countdown is now just over two years.
Act now! Just don't direct charge us - say 5 percent of the population surveyed. 
And what ever you DO do ... do not set up an emissions trading scheme that will raise our cost of living - 16 percent of respondents opposed an emissions trading scheme. This was before the election.

 

(This ihis is a gap.this is agapthisisagapthisisagapthisisagap...

Reminds me of a Dario Fo play called We Can't Pay We Won't Pay - it's Nobel Prize-winning high Italian farce by a communist leaning thinker. 
And exactly where is the leadership of this country heading with this?

 

his is a gap.this is agapthisisagapthisisagapthisisagap...

This is a gap in logic which no political party seems willing to breach. We have a "Multi-Party Climate Change Committee" which reports to the Prime Minister and Cabinet and it sits behind closed doors - no attempt to breach the gap in public thinking on this issue. They simply proclaim the decision to introduce the very thing that everyone is "afraid" of: a carbon tax. Which I support but that's beside the point.

a gap.this is agapthisisagapthisisagapthisisagap...

 

Maybe we need a TV reality show: So you think there's a gap in my reasoning? 
Perhaps it should be the title of Opposition Leader Tony Abbott's Global Warming action manifesto - the one he has yet to write.
Meanwhile, the 6th update of the Garnaut Climate Change Review recommends tax reform to compensate low to middle income earners for the effects of the mooted carbon tax.
"Most other developed countries now have falling or steady emissions but, largely as a result of the contemporary resources boom, our emissions continue to increase rapidly," Ross Garnaut writes in this latest update.
Any gaps here when you consider this in the context of our future demand for electricity as shown in the graphs from Chapter 20 of the Garnaut Review: 


Political debate carbon tax cartoon: Do you really want the global warming debate to be an intelligence test?

When I visited San Francisco's Exploratorium I bought this postcard showing psychologist's EG Boring's little intelligence test. 

I think the climate change debate is a reincarnation of the postcard.

Do you see a young or old woman or both?

Tim Flannery and the rest of the Climate Commission appointed by the Federal Government in February held it's first community meeting in Geelong on Friday.

Listen to an ABC podcast 

I watched it on the ABC. They responded to the fears of the average Australian from how a carbon tax will affect petrol prices and groceries to whether jobs will be lost in the most energy intensive industries such as aluminum smelters. This unfortunately was broadcast on the ABC on a Friday night after 8.30pm while the Tony Abbott in the climate skeptics crowd speech was all over every media outlet for the past few days.

So here's how I think it must look to the average Aussie who bothered with last week's debate at all: 

By the way, here are some answers given to questions at the Geelong forum:

  • Petrol prices would go up $2-$3 a tank (depending on the size of the tank) with the introduction of a recommened $20-$30/tonne price on carbon.
  • Jobs at Alcoa would be saved if (as is part of every plan under consideration) the aluminum industry gets some form of compensation - because it's actually doing something about reducing its energy consumption already and is already internationally competitive in this area.
  • There is no global warming debate in the scientific community. Why? Because the existence and cause of Global Warming is accepted as fact by 98 percent of the scientific community.
  • "UNCERTAINTY" is the reason investors are not investing in clean energy which means it will take even longer to bring the price of clean energy down.
  • Scientists are annoyed and frustrated by the "political" debate around climate change and went back to their test tubes, exploration ships and the like to do the work rather than argue with people who don't have their facts straight.

PS: If television's morning programs really want to do a public service then perhaps they should do a segment every morning with a scientist!

Translation for international readers of da Scriffles: 

The GoGo Bird: Prime Minister Julia Gillard - leader of a minority government in a hung parliament - is captive to the Greens (hence green shoes).

The Poll Dancer: Opposition Leader Tony Abbott & his team of fat cats are worried about the cost of living for ordinary Australians and the fact that Julia Gillard lied before the election when she said her government would never introduce a carbon tax. Now that she needs the support of The Greens to remain in government she's changed her mind. 

 

    Tax junk food instead of carbon: Obesity is when you can't walk and chew gum.

    You can find on the outside only what you possess on the inside. – Adolfo Montiel Ballesteros

    When an armed robber makes up his mind to do whatever it takes to get whatever it is that he needs what motivates him is self-interest - right?

    Only a madman would stand in front of a desperate person wielding a gun or a knife and advise him to get in touch with his authentic self - it's the same with trying to tell a junk food addict not to binge on crap -  that's all you folk who load your shopping trollies with soft drinks, chips, biscuits and LCMs <YES LCMs> processed and bottles of unnatural yuk and go into debt to pay your shopping bill.

    OKAY. Instead of a carbon tax, let's tax junk food and spend it on renewable energy innovation. Who's the robber now, hey?

    Do you like the Barren Von Carben series by my nieces? I thought up the Baron and asked them to create him. I like the way they spell his name: BARREN. I created his oily haired bride. The Barren's Bride.

    It's really weird for me at the moment because I've been writing reports of health forums on children's nutrition and diabetes - there's a massive epidemic in our society and no one's taking up arms. The rate of bowel cancer in children is rising. 

    Two-thirds of Australians are overweight or obese. People basically aren't eating fruit and vegetables.

    Obese children suffer horrible systematic discrimination. The emotional and psychological impact (not to mention the cardio-vascular disease, diabetes and kidney failure) follows them into adulthood - they drop out of school, they can't get jobs, they suffer social discrimination. Read the stats. 

    The one good thing Tony Abbott has going for him is that he cycles, he runs, and he surfs - even though he leads a busy life. He's time poor too but he finds time! Perhaps he might get elected if he starts to truly care about something OTHER than being elected.

    Here's a suggested Australian Constitution based on our TRUE and HONEST Australian values:  

    * The right to live forever! *The right to smokes and booze! *The right to Maccas! *The right take whatever I want and pay nothing - or close to nothing! *To hell with everyone but ME! *The right to hold to self-righteous arrogance and claim it as fact - that is to lie. *The right to whinge about someone else's lies. *The right to kick and spit and punch people for no good reason (Have you listened to the news lately?).

    Are these the values we defend our shores with?

    THIS is the AUSTRALIAN way of life that refugees aspire to? You can own a Nintendo and eat Maccas at the same time.

    Once upon a time, Australian children bragged about being able to walk and chew gum at the same time - and they could!

    That's because the energy spent walking was greater than the calorie intake of chewing gum!

    I've stopped blogging because I know that I've started ranting over climate change and it's boring. But really people!

    You take up arms against future proofing the environment but you do nought to protect your children's health. Throw that extra pack of chips in the trolley, go on! Hello??? Anyone in there??? Honestly! 

    A third of Australian children will be obese by 2020 - these are the figures helpless health professionals talk about as they tremble thinking about the future burden on our health system, not to mention our society. Imagine how they feel being unable to turn the Titanic around?

    I realized that there are a lot of good people in the health system who feel bad about fighting a losing battle - if only you could hear them.

    When is it time to change? It's taken half a century to change people's attitudes to smoking. We do not have half a century here folks.

    Continue to swallow those Maccas "family" meals and guzzle your soft drink, instead of water. Is it that difficult to cook fresh family meals? 

    Our economy is groaning - the Health economy is bankrupt - that's what waiting lists mean people! There's no money to cover the deficit. It's not a pretty picture if you're on a waiting list.

    If you aren't on those waiting lists then you're lucky. Me? I'm not on a waiting list but I do need to lose a few pounds. I don't eat junk food though - not in all my life! When I was kid if we wanted pizza my parents told us to make them - the base, the sauce, cut up the topping and wait for it to cook! Fresh out of the oven. Good honest, authentic food from flour and whole tomatoes and cheese and olives and ...

    I wonder what will happen to me these days if I end up in a nursing home unable to take a hot shower so that I can move in the morning... After a month of yoga twice a week, my spine can move again. Ah the splendor of life tied to a desk.

    Let us live forever! We crawled out of the ooz and we can crawl back ... are you shocked yet? 

    Where exactly is this "authentic" self that the heeby new age body beautiful creepies talk about?

    Bullshit is authentic too if you know what you're looking at.

    Creepies because all they are doing is pushing their latest product down your throat! You too can be thin if you pay a fortune for my secrets. Agh!

    What is enough for an armed robber? $5000 ... $50,000? ... $1000 or just a carton of smokes?

    Well, what exactly are you prepared to take up arms for?