Abbott in Fantasyland Over Emissions
Thursday 5th September 2013
Greens Senator for Western Australia Scott Ludlam and Greens WA spokesperson on Climate Change, Robin Chapple MLC today called on the Leader of the Opposition to correct the record after Mr Abbott’s claim on the ABC 7:30 programme that Australia’s emissions had reduced by 50% over the past two decades.
Senator Ludlam said “The National Greenhouse Gas Inventory shows that Australia’s emissions for 1991 were 419 million tonnes, while two decades later, for 2011 (the latest comparative figure available) emissions had reached 552 million tonnes – an increase of 31%!
“If Mr Abbott can justify his wild assertion of a 50% reduction in emissions he needs to tell us what alternative figures he is using, or immediately retract his fanciful claim.
“I suppose if there’s a positive aspect to this glaring mistake – it’s that when discovered, he might then reverse his ill-founded threat to nobble the renewable energy sector by removing government support so it can just be added to the massive subsidies already heaped on the outdated fossil fuel industry.
“Only the Greens stand fully in support of the clearly-expressed demands of West Australians for more emphasis on renewable sources for energy production. Our Energy 2029 plan stands in stark contrast to the business-as-usual approach of the other parties”, said Senator Ludlam.
Energy 2029 plan: http://www.greenswa.net.au/energy2029
Mr Chapple continued, “I’m flabbergasted that our likely next Prime Minister is so out of touch with reality that he can trot out such an obviously incorrect statistic, not just once, but twice, in his interview with Leigh Sales on ABC 7:30.
“Far from looking at reductions, my office’s research into WA’s emissions shows an alarming level of increase. On publicly available evidence, this state’s emissions will treble when Premier Barnett’s favoured resource projects get up and running in coming years.
“Not only is Mr Abbott laughably wide of the mark when it comes to his assessment of our current emissions record, even more disturbing revelations about our emissions figures are on the horizon.
“Preliminary results from new research which I am conducting point to shocking under-estimating of the true level of our GHG emissions, particularly in relation to the natural gas extraction and distribution sector”, concluded Mr Chapple.
