Should Australia junk Kyoto and the carbon tax?

Comments on Tim Wilson “Junk Kyoto and the carbon tax”, 10/12/2012, http://www.theaustralian.com.au/national-affairs/opinion/junk-kyoto-and-the-carbon-tax/comments-e6frgd0x-1226533235739

This is a disappointing piece of analysis or opinion, to say the least. The following statements reflect part of the disappointment: "That leaves only a core group of countries, including Australia, the EU, Norway and Switzerland, still flying the Kyoto flag from next year to 2020. Combined, these countries represent a mere 15 per cent of global emissions and don't include any of the major growing emitters in the developing world." While some of the content is of some value, like finding alternative ways to get climate change agenda going, the overall call for Australia to abandon both the Kyoto Protocol and its carbon tax is clearly a wrong call, wrong strategy and pointing to a wrong direction. Australia should not abandon either of them. Instead Australians should abandon listening to both such a shallow opinion and such a short foresight.

Of course, Australia needs to and must take into account what is going on in the UN climate change negotiations and make necessary changes to optimise its climate change policies. For example, its carbon tax should make some border adjustment to deal with differential climate policies across different countries so Australian businesses won't be unfairly affected in their international competitiveness. Or its level of carbon tax should be reflective of the world's climate change trend and policies. But that is not to say that Australia should abandon the carbon tax that is a more efficient climate policy than most other climate policies.

What the following statements mean is that the author is scared to mention the main spoiler in international climate change negotiations, that is, the US, instead he is saying major emitters in developing countries: "That leaves only a core group of countries, including Australia, the EU, Norway and Switzerland, still flying the Kyoto flag from next year to 2020. Combined, these countries represent a mere 15 per cent of global emissions and don't include any of the major growing emitters in the developing world." It has been the US that didn't ratify the Kyoto. That also led to the few countries running away from it. The author should point that out, as opposed to blaming developing countries.