Monday 28 September 2009

The far-right nation - or not?

One surprising piece of news from today’s Sydney Morning Herald shows that, despite Australia’s exceptionally poor greenhouse gas emissions, there is as much support for reductions as in any country in Eurasia or North America. In fact, most Australians seem to think less cheap energy is acceptable in this quest, and 94 percent believe more should be dome than Rudd’s woeful five percent reduction.

Still, one should not be too excited. It is apparent many Australians realise change will never come from the ballot box with the country’s monopolisation of world energy supplies and consequently powerful road and fossil fuel lobbies. It can only come via protest and/or tax resistance by which people refuse to pay a single cent of tax on roads or to helping car or fossil fuel corporations.

Moreover, as you should know if you have read this blog, a tenable state of affairs would permit Australia only a very small fraction the per capita carbon emissions of Eurasia, North America or New Zealand. It would have Australia paying, not one percent of total OECD fuel taxes (for equal volumes) but more like fifty percent alone, or twenty-five times more fuel tax per litre than Eurasia, North America or New Zealand need to pay. Would most Australians realise how ecologically fair this would be, even if it does not diminish the culturally devastating selfishness and greed of Eurasia, North America and New Zealand today??

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