On this day, May 26, 1994, the Australian Liberal Party’s spokesperson on foreign affairs offered an (unintentionally prophetic) warning about future climate diplomacy.
“The concern of industry groups that Australia might similarly be forced into a consensus on climate change was echoed yesterday by the Opposition spokesman on foreign affairs, Mr Andrew Peacock. He said there was a danger Australia’s stance that it would not implement measures that would damage its trade competitiveness unless other greenhouse gas producers did likewise could become increasingly devoid of substance.” Gill, P. 1994 Industry voices greenhouse fears. Australian Financial Review, 27 May,
The context was that Australia had ratified the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change in December 1992 (Prime Minister Paul Keating loathed greenies, but I think just couldn’t be bothered NOT to ratify). It was by May 1994 clear that there would be a global meeting soon at which rich countries would be expected to announce not just stabilisation of emissions targets, but actual cuts. Australia did not want this (who would they sell all their coal to, how would they power a currently coal-based energy system?).
Industry was already mobilising by May 1994, and telling their natural allies, the Liberal Party, what they wanted…
[The other context is that the Liberals felt that they’d had the 1990 Federal election stolen from them by nefarious greenies. Their leader at the time? Why, Andrew Peacock.]
Why this matters.
Let’s think always in terms of ideas, interests and ideology, rather than the goodness or badness of specific individuals (I know, it’s hard, I fail at that most of the time, but let us at least make the effort…)
What happened next?
Labor Environment Minister tried to introduce a carbon tax, and was defeated by a very clever, determined campaign..
A Liberal-National Government took charge in Australia from March 1996, hardened the existing opposition to emissions cuts and generally played as much of a blocking role as it could. The emissions climbe and climbed and the opportunity to do anything meaningful about climate change was squandered. So it goes.