Exactly 10 years ago today, April 8 2015, the coalition government of Australia released an energy white paper that even the craven/supine ABC called “devoid of vision.”
The White Paper promotes increasing competition and production of energy, while reducing the cost of electricity.
Renewable energy was described as “important” in the Energy White Paper, but existing policies to support it are due to be dismantled.
Phillips, S. 2015. Energy White Paper: short on vision. ABC Environment, 10 April.
http://www.abc.net.au/environment/articles/2015/04/10/4213491.htm [Dead link – make of that what you will….]
The amount of carbon dioxide in the air was roughly 401ppm. As of 2025 it is 427ppm, but check here for daily measures.
The context was that the Liberal Party had gone to the 1990 federal election with a more ambitious emissions reduction target than the governing Australian Labor Party, but had reaped no significant environmental electoral benefit from this.
By 1992 it was clear that the Liberals – who felt stabbed in the back – were going to “cut the green crap”, as they did (the Nationals had never been on board).
Since then, whether in government, the Coalition had been rampantly hostile to any significant or actual limits on carbon dioxide emissions growth domestically or internationally. There was a brief period from 2006 to 2009 where they had to pretend, but with the coming of Tony Abbott, in late 2009 as leader of the opposition and then Prime Minister, it was clear that nothing would get done on climate.
The Energy White Paper was a reflection of that.
What I think we can learn from this side bar. You’re never more than two or three years away from an Energy White Paper. None of them actually matters much. Very occasionally, one does.
What happened next Abbott was so fantastically incompetent as Prime Minister – he was kind of like somewhere between Liz Truss and Donald Trump that he got turfed by his own party. Then again, Malcolm Turnbull wasn’t much better, and he got turfed in turn, and the puppet show continues. Wow. And the emissions keep climbing, and the atmospheric concentrations surge. And the consequences are arriving for even the ‘civilised’ (read rich) people. What times.
What do you think? Does this pass the ‘so what?’ threshold? Have I got facts wrong? Interpretation wrong? Please do comment on this post, unless you are a denialist, obvs.
Also on this day:
April 8, 1970 – Australian National University students told about C02 build-up…
April 8, 1980 – UK civil servant Crispin Tickell warns Times readers…
April 8, 1995 – Australian environment minister says happy with “Berlin Mandate”
April 8, 1995 – Journo points out the gamble on climate – All Our Yesterdays