Twenty five years ago, on this day, June 29th, 2000.
POWER INDUSTRY GREEN LIGHT FOR GREENHOUSE CUTS
Environment Minister Robert Hill says Australia’s greenhouse gas emissions will be dramatically reduced when new efficiency standards are introduced for power stations from July 1st.
Senator Hill said it’s expected the new standards for fossil fuel generators will lead to a cut of about four million tonnes of carbon emissions each year.
“This achievement, the equivalent of taking over one million cars permanently off the road, would not have been possible without the co-operation of industry,” Senator Hill said.
Media Release
Senator the Hon Robert Hill
Leader of the Government in the Senate
Minister for the Environment and Heritage
29 June 2000
http://www.environment.gov.au/minister/archive/env/2000/mr29jun200.html
The amount of carbon dioxide in the air was roughly 371.8ppm. As of 2025 it is 430ppm, but check here for daily measures.
The context was that Prime Minister John Howard had made it very clear he did not believe that climate change was a problem, and that Australia should not have signed the UNFCCC. However, he needed to pretend to give a bit of a damn, to keep intelligent Liberal voters (they exist) on side/able to pretend that “Liberal values” weren’t going to trash Australia. So, various bullshit PR stunts – like the “Greenhouse Challenge” and so on, were rolled out.
What I think we can learn from this. There was, until Trump, a tendency of the knuckle-draggers to pretend that they gave a damn. Now they don’t bother so much….
What happened next Howard killed off two Emissions Trading Schemes (one in August 2000 and another in mid-2003). When climate change became a salient political issue in late 2006 he tried a pivot, but nobody believed him.
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:
June 29, 1979 – G7 says climate change matters. Yes, 1979. – All Our Yesterdays