Australia's Prime Minister Julia Gillard has called for a 'community consensus for action' on climate change via a citizens' assembly before moving to establish a price on carbon. This announcement is part of the Prime Minister's election campaign for the federal elections due to be held in August 2010.
While it is agreeable to involve the public in the climate change debate, a citizens' assembly, consisting of a hundred or so randomly selected Australians, is unlikely to bring about workeable results based on well-researched facts. The climate change debate is already suffering greatly from misinformation and lobbying, and is likely to slope down further into depths beyond reach for a sensible solution to the problem.
And while taxes and a price on carbon are being discussed now, how much of this can we expect to be turned into a working mechanism after the elections are over? Is the emissions trading scheme still salvageable, or will we continue to talk and discuss in ever greater settings?
If you are an individual or business owner wanting to make a difference, taking voluntary action might be your best choice. One thing we can assume without doubt is that hoping for a consensus will probably never give us the solution we need. As in all areas of politics, there will always be voices to speak out against a climate change action policy. Why are we so willing to surrender to these voices, while out of context and concerning other issues they seem easy to override?
