
Climate change is the most pressing challenge of our time, yet meaningful action to address this global threat seems increasingly elusive. What’s standing in the way? There are numerous individuals, organizations, and corporations that actively work to obstruct attempts to cut our carbon emissions, advance clean energy, and prepare communities for the devastating impacts of climate change. Here is a list of just a few of these thwarters who stood out in 2013.
Tony Abbott
When a heavy spate of bushfires erupted around Sydney early in the bushfire season, Abbott denied any links to climate change, going as far as to get in a public debate with U.N. Climate Chief Christiana Figueres and Nobel laureate Al Gore. Causing a further international row, he shunned the November U.N. climate talks in Warsaw by opting not to send a senior elected member of his government — a purely political move with little regard for the dire need for international cooperation in confronting climate change.
Stephen Harper
The rise in emissions that accompanies developing the tar sands means that Canada won’t be able to meet its 2020 targets for overall greenhouse gas emissions reductions.
Rupert Murdoch
Rex Tillerson
The Koch Brothers
The Koch brothers have also been pushing a “No Climate Tax Pledge” on politicians since 2008 through their front group, Americans for Prosperity. While unabashedly devised to promote their own self interests over those of the public or the environment, the Koch brothers wield so much money and power that over 400 politicians had signed the pledge as of July.
House Committee on Science, Space and Technology
American Legislative Exchange Council
Rather than admit defeat, and give in to common sense, ALEC appears to be doubling down on anti-clean energy efforts in 2014. One way the group plans to do this is target net metering policies, which allow solar owners to get credit for the energy they feed back into the grid (which angers large utility companies and their increasingly antiquated business model). In 2014, ALEC will also be pushing legislation that opposes President Obama’s nationwide Climate Action Plan, especially when it comes to cutting greenhouse gas emissions from power plants.
Joseph Bast, President and Co-founder of the Heartland Institute
Earlier this fall, after the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change released its major study on climate science, (spoiler: global warming is unequivocal and it’s our fault), Bast said, “The IPCC — and all the mainstream media and environmental extremists who cite it uncritically — really have become a joke in the scientific community.”
Considering 97 percent of scientists believe the planet is warming and humans are causing it, one would think the scientific community would think similarly of Bast.
The U.S. Chamber of Commerce
Thomas Donohue, head of the U.S. Chamber of Commerce, recently told a meeting of business executives that attempts to put regulations on hydraulic fracturing are “undermining freedom” and hurting the economy.
Bjorn Lomborg
Recently Lomborg wrote an editorial in the UK Times that asserts that, “global warming has mostly been a net benefit so far” and will be for decades. So while Lomborg does not deny that climate change is happening, he might be considered a confusionist, as Climate Progress’ Joe Romm recently labeled him. With Lomborg holding such a high perch from which to espouse his confusing — and even confounding — views, the potential negative impact he could have on combating climate change stands to be tall.
Source: Climate Progress. Reproduced with permission.
I just know that Tony watches Fox News 🙂
Over half of Australia voted for Tony Abbott, largely because he promised to repeal the carbon tax and reduce electricity bills.
You’ve just insulted millions of people who used to support you. Keep up the sneering condescension, I’m sure that will help win them back.
Actually, less than half directly voted for Abbott. Preferential voting brought him over the line. This article insults one person for his climate-change-denying actions, and he deserves to be spoken down upon for acting in the most backwards manner out of any country that signed The Kyoto Protocol.
Just because you vote for someone, doesn’t mean they suit your every interest either. If this were true, I’d abstain from voting simply because I’m not there being voted for, as no one shares the exact same opinion as me.
The Coalition was also lying about the influence of the carbon tax on electricity bills to win the election.
The numbers for a Queensland residential bill for 2014-15 are
10% Generation Wholesale
44% Network and Transmission
22% Retail Costs
7% Carbon Tax
7% Solar Feed In Tariff (FIT)
2% Green Schemes (RET)
The main driver of higher electricity bills is and will be for the future the Network and Transmission Costs. All green schemes and the carbon tax make 16%, the rest equals 76% of a QLD bill.
I prefer to check the facts for myself instead of listening to politicians with an agenda.
https://reneweconomy.wpengine.com/2013/campbell-newmans-carbon-and-green-energy-con-job-85363
Assuming that QLD retailers are the same as Synergy in the West is, it is hard to see how 22% of the total electricity bill could be absorbed by this sort of useless billing shim!
In WA Synergy doesn’t to anything more than most ‘mobile phone’ companies so. the don’t maintain the lines or even read meters.
If you really want to know how the Abbott government is handling their energy policy, read the following eye opening article. It’s not very promising or convincing.
http://solarbusiness.com.au/government-coming-clean-real-energy-policy/
No more than half of Australians voted for Abbott, in fact the Liberals received around 200’000 less votes than Labor. This government is just another Liberal lead minority (like most Liberal government since the 40’s) government. The Liberals have no mandate and even if they did why should Labor respect it after Abbott trashed the bi-partisan arrangement made with Turnbull after Abbott stabbed him in the back.
Electricity suppliers have already said that there is no certainty that removing the price on carbon will reduce the price of electricity. The majority of price increases in electricity are from privatisation and over investment in poles and wires, only 9% of the increase was from the price on carbon.
The carbon price has reduced carbon produced from electricity generation by around 7% in the first year and is providing almost $8 billion in revenue and the clean energy fund is making money as well, along with attracting investment. The Budget needs money and our budget needs more income not less.
More people want the carbon price ETS than want Direct Action and many more people want stronger action on climate change.
I meant to say that more voted against Abbott.
Never a truer word was said.
Our worst PM by a mile.
He must go in 2016!
By then we’ll be the laughing stock of the world. A government that leads by keeping the population in the dark about so much (starting before the election and continuing it well after it came into power). Not to mention the coninued denials and obvious lies it feeds us at a constant pace. This government and the PM in particular, are well on the way to be remembered in Australian history as one of the nation’s darkest periods
No more than half of Australians voted for Abbott, in fact the Liberals received around 200’000 less votes than Labor. This government is just another Liberal lead minority (like most Liberal government since the 40’s) government. The Liberals have no mandate and even if they did why should Labor respect it after Abbott trashed the bi-partisan arrangement (2009 Rudd’s ETS Labor defeated the Liberals in a real landslide, remember) made with Turnbull after Abbott stabbed him in the back.
Electricity suppliers have already said that there is no certainty that removing the price on carbon will reduce the price of electricity. The majority of price increases in electricity are from privatisation and over investment in poles and wires, only 9% of the increase was from the price on carbon.
The carbon price has reduced carbon produced from electricity generation by around 7% in the first year and is providing almost $8 billion in revenue and the clean energy fund is making money as well, along with attracting investment. The budget needs more income not less.
More people want the carbon price ETS than want Direct Action and many more people want stronger action on climate change.
EWorrall,
“You’ve just insulted millions of people who used to support you. Keep up the sneering condescension,”
Pls cut down on the hyperbole!
It makes you look childish and churlish.
Ari Phillips is correct.
Tony Abbott is looking sillier by the day. He will go down in history as our worst PM ever. Let’s make him One Term Tony and get rid of him in 2016.
If you think Abbott must go, sign this: http://www.change.org/en-AU/petitions/to-the-australian-government-and-the-governor-general-we-reject-tony-abbott-and-the-lnp