Government will press on and wreck economy

Kevin Rudd has dismissed claims that the global economic crisis might be a teensy weensy bit more urgent than nebulous climate change action, and is set to make you and me and every other Australian pay more for their energy to achieve absolutely nothing (other than make a hopeless political gesture).

One glimmer of hope in the darkness is that Andrew Robb, the Opposition spokesman on emissions trading, has said what no-one else seems to realise:

"Professor Garnaut is saying that Australia by itself can make no impact on global climate change, that climate change is a global problem requiring a global solution."

He accused the Government of rushing the finalisation of an emissions trading scheme "for purely political reasons."

Yep, dead right. The Australian Chamber of Commerce and Industry also comment sensibly that Garnaut's work had:

"two critical missing links -- the absence of robust economic modelling and the absence of global emissions trading agreements".

Read the rest here.