Rising Tide Australia

Climate action group Rising Tide Newcastle have slammed the proposal by the Federal Opposition to spend half a billion dollars of tax-payers money on dubious “clean coal” technology. The new plan announced by opposition leader Kevin Rudd aims to have "clean-coal" fired electricity in the national grid by the year 2020.

Spokesperson for Rising Tide, Steve Phillips, said: “We cannot wait around for thirteen years to act against climate change. Global greenhouse pollution needs to be cut radically, and it needs to start now. Scientists tell us that otherwise, the global climate is likely to slip into runaway climate change, endangering human and non-human life.”

“This announcement is a de-facto acknowledgment that so-called “clean coal” is daydream technology that cannot save the world from catastrophic climate change,” continued Phillips. “Kevin Rudd is admitting that clean coal does not exist, by asking us to spend 13 years searching for it.”

“Kevin Rudd is wasting an ideal opportunity to differentiate his party from the hopelessly backwards Howard Government. The Federal ALP think they are going to ride into government on a tide of public angst with climate change. Yet here they are coming out with dangerous and inadequate policies that play right into the hands of the coal lobby. It is time both major parties admitted that coal causes climate change, and we cannot stop climate change unless we take action against coal.”

“Why would we waste half a billion dollars of tax-payers money a technology that doesn't exist, and may never exist. Why isn't this money being spent on proven technologies that we know can work?”

“Under this plan, Australia's greenhouse pollution, from the coal that is burned as well as the our far more polluting export coal industry, would continue to grow exponentially for at least the next 13 years. After that time, it is hoped, technology will come to the rescue, and allow us to keep burning coal without polluting the global atmosphere. Even if this plan worked, which experts believe is highly unlikely, it would be too late.”

“Modeling commissioned by the Australian Government, and carried out by the Australian Bureau of Agricultural and Resource Economics, shows that even if the “clean coal” daydream comes true, then greenhouse pollution from energy in the Asia Pacific region will double by 2050. This would condemn the world to an unlivable climate.”

“We call on Kevin Rudd to stop bluffing and take some real action against climate change. What Australia needs is

• action to reduce unsustainable energy consumption

• action to phase out the domestic coal industry as soon as possible, and replace it with renewable energy

• a plan for a just transition away from coal exports, into sustainable alternative industries.”

“Australians want a real choice on climate change. It is time for the ALP to break ranks with the Howard Government and stand up against the coal industry. The future of our planet may depend on it.”