Guest essay by Eric Worrall

My question – why should Australian Prime Minister Scott Morrison upset supporters by declaring Net Zero, when greens clearly plan to denounce any climate surrender as a deception?

The ‘net’ in net zero emissions offers a huge temptation to cheat

Ross Gittins
Economics Editor October 15, 2021 — 8.15am

Perhaps the hardest part of reaching net zero emissions by 2050 is the “net”. We won’t get to zero emissions without it, but it’s tricky and presents us with a great temptation to turn the whole exercise into a rort.

The goal is “net zero” because it’s neither possible nor sensible for us to eliminate every last emission of carbon dioxide and other greenhouse gases. But that won’t be a problem provided we can offset what few emissions remain by finding ways to remove from the atmosphere an equivalent amount of carbon dioxide that’s already there.

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So, some emissions may never be eliminated and others would cost far more to eliminate than to offset by other means.

The obvious way to offset is to remove carbon dioxide from the atmosphere by beefing up our natural sinks – many of which have been diminished by economic development.

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The Australia Institute recently ran a TV ad saying net zero is a fraud if the fossil fuel industries continue expanding. True.

And the sad truth is that Scott Morrison doesn’t have clean hands when it comes to using carbon credits to mislead us. He’s claimed repeatedly that our emissions are falling and we’re on track to “meet and beat” our target of a 26 per cent reduction by 2030.

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Read more: https://www.smh.com.au/business/the-economy/the-net-in-net-zero-emissions-offers-a-huge-temptation-to-cheat-20211014-p59054.html

We don’t need the Sydney Morning Herald to tell us the green fraud accusation is locked and loaded, but it is nice to have our suspicions confirmed.

If Scott Morrison declares Australian Net Zero, to try to please COP26, it will be perceived as a sign of weakness, not strength. Emboldened greens will double down on denouncing ScoMo as a climate deceiver, and as policy details are revealed, there is a good chance climate skeptics like myself will agree with them.

As Australians head towards the polls in 2022, Scott Morrison would do well to remember that no Australian Prime Minister ever won an election by looking weak.

via Watts Up With That?

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October 17, 2021