Twelve years ago, on this day, September 18th, 2013,
2013 – Dismantling of four climate change programs begins and climate change functions moved into Department of Environment:
• The government begins drafting legislation to repeal the Clean Energy Act 2011
• The government abolishes the Climate Commission
• Treasurer orders the CEFC to cease investments
• Environment Minister announces plans to abolish the CCA
A new Department of the Environment deals with matters that include renewable energy target policy, regulation and co-ordination; greenhouse emissions and energy consumption reporting; climate change adaptation strategy and co-ordination; co-ordination of climate change science activities; renewable energy; greenhouse gas abatement programmes; and community and household climate action. See also – https://www.smh.com.au/national/you-bastards-sacked-me-when-the-climate-sceptics-arrived-20200626-p556nn.html
The amount of carbon dioxide in the air was 397ppm. As of 2025, when this post was published, it is 430ppm. This matters because the more carbon dioxide in the air, the more heat gets trapped. The more heat, the more extreme weather events. You can make it more complicated than that if you want, but really, it’s not. Fwiw, I have a tattoo of the Keeling Curve on my left forearm.
The broader context was from 2006 to 2012 Australian political elites had engaged in a truly astonishing bloody soap opera over the extremely modest (and entirely inadequate) carbon pricing scheme (scheme in every sense). Tony Abbott, who became Opposition Leader in late 2009 was a brutally effective wrecking ball, supported to the hilt by the Murdoch media.
The specific context was that Abbot had handily won the 2013 election, and was now about to show that “good government starts today.”
What I think we can learn from this. Abbott isn’t worth sending to the Hague. He’d simply plead stupidity and the prosecution would have to admit that it was an ironclad defence.
What happened next Abbott was a farcically incompetent Prime Minister, on Boris Johnson levels. Anyone who knew anything about humans could see it coming. The Murdoch media goons did not.
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:
September 18, 2004 – Australian States back ETS plan – All Our Yesterdays
September 18, 2013 – Greenpeace try to occupy the “Arctic Sunrise.”
September 18, 2013 – Feeble denialists launch feeble denialist “report”