“In 2010, Australia contributed 1.33% or 0.0133 of the total Global emissions of CO2. One of the worst case IPCC models, Scenario A2, suggests a mean increase of about 3.3OC for a doubling of CO2 in the atmosphere. Just when a doubling will occur depends very much on what countries do to reduce emissions. In reality, it seems almost inevitable that doubling will occur before the end of the century, unless China, the USA and India significantly curtail their emissions below current commitments. But the timing is really not that important. If Australians do little more to reduce future emissions, and our relative contribution remains the same up to the time the doubling occurs, we will have caused only 0.0133 x 3.3 = 0.044OC of the total global temperature increase. This means that even if Australians could immediately eliminate all CO2 emissions, the full extent of the consequent reduction in temperature towards the end of this century would be only 0.044OC. Politicians and much of the media are trying to persuade Australians that we will make a real difference by implementing the much more limited reductions claimed to be achievable by the proposed taxing or pricing of CO2 . In the face of the simple fact that anything less than complete elimination of CO2 emissions must also result in less than an 0.044OC reduction, can someone please explain why we should be burdened with a complex system of taxation which is demonstrably ineffective, and futile from the beginning?”

Roy Martin · 2 years ago · 3 votes · 1 comments