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This is a summary of a discussion on ABC’s Lateline on April
19, 2000. It indicates a range of social attitudes to the energy
problem.
The majority of the world's countries agreed in 1997 to sign the
Kyoto Protocol, limiting greenhouse gas emissions by 5 per cent
of their country's 1990 emissions, by 2008. Australia was one of
these countries.
The Government stated that its initial plan was to promote the
idea of re-afforestation to provide carbon 'sinks'. Each tree needs
carbon dioxide to grow, therefore a forest of trees would use up
some of the excess carbon dioxide in the atmosphere. The conservation
movement has been critical of the approach to carbon sinks and carbon
trading. Carbon trading means that re-afforestation can be encouraged
by having companies that emit large quantities of CO2
paying for the establishment of tree plantations. For this, they
would receive carbon 'credits'.
The conservation movement says that this, to some extent, will
encourage companies to keep on polluting. They say that the main
emphasis should be on reducing greenhouse emissions at their source.
The Government says that it is addressing the problem with a $16
million Air Pollution in Major Cities Program to monitor air quality,
regulate emissions, promote public education and encourage the use
of renewable energy.
The conservation movement is not opposed to carbon sinks, but believes
that they have been over-emphasised to allow Australia’s coal industry
to continue. They maintain that the place to start is to reduce
our use of fossil fuels now. There is some scientific evidence that
there is a limit to how much CO2 can be taken up by trees.
If much of the plantation timber is destined for use as biomass
fuel, then the CO2 will return to the atmosphere more
quickly in any case. Nevertheless, all sides agree that re-afforestation
(and stopping land clearing) will serve the multiple purposes of
taking excess CO2 from the air, improving degraded land
and reducing soil salinity.
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