Oz Government CSIRO bid to GAG top economist's attack on Obama-style carbon ETS

The journal ACCEPTED the peer-refereed article for publication - it was the author's employer, the Australian Government's CSIRO research organization, that intervened and insisted that the paper by a world-leading ecological economist NOT be published.

Further, cap-and-trade ETS schemes ARE a form of carbon tax - the only problem is that cap-and-trade ETS is a dishonest, demonstrably ineffective, sociopathic, market manipulable, Ponzi-style, ecocidal, genocidal and terracidal and fraudulent form of carbon taxation.

Thus top US climate scientist Dr James Hansen )(NASA, Goddard Institute for Space Studies: "The Congressional Budget Office provides a comparison of carbon taxes to cap-and-trade. That report concludes that a given emission reduction could be achieved at a fraction of the cost via a carbon tax, as opposed to cap-and-trade. Another useful comparison is also available. The worst thing about cap-and-trade [ETS], from a climate standpoint, is that it will surely be inadequate to achieve the sharp reduction of emissions that is needed. Thus cap-and-trade would practically guarantee disastrous climate change for our children and grandchildren. The only solution to the climate problem is to leave much of the fossil fuels in the ground. That requires a high enough carbon price that we move on to our energy future beyond fossil fuels." (see "Dr James Hansen, "Carbon Tax and 100% Dividend vs. Tax and Trade", Committee on Ways & Means, US House of Representatives, February 2009:": http://www.columbia.edu/~jeh1/mailings/2009/20090226_WaysAndMeans.pdf">Dr James Hansen, "Carbon Tax and 100% Dividend vs. Tax and Trade", Committee on Ways & Means, US House of Representatives, February 2009 ).

That link to Dr Hansen is Dr Hansen to Congress re Carbon Tax .

Pejorative, ad hominem abuse is no substitute for sensible comment.

Dr Clive Spash is one of the world's top ecological economists and makes the following observation in the seeded article about ETS ineffectiveness :

"While carbon trading and offset schemes seem set to spread, they so far appear ineffective in terms of actually reducing GHGs (greenhouse gases). Despite this apparent failure, ETS [emission trading schemes] remain politically popular amongst the industrialised polluters. The public appearance is that action is being undertaken. The reality is that GHGs are increasing and society is avoiding the need for substantive proposals to address the problem of behavioural and structural change.

"

Top US climate scientist Dr James Hansen of NASA made the following observation to Congress about the "disastrous" ETS threat to our children grandchildren and the Planet:

"Thus cap-and-trade would practically guarantee disastrous climate change for our children and grandchildren."

(see posts #2.2 & 2.3) .

Dr Vandana Shiva (Indian physicist, feminist, founder of eco-feminism, author of several books and of hundreds of scientific and technical papers, and a very prominent environmental analyst and activist):

"The science of climate change is now clear, but the politics is very muddy....Such [Carbon Trading ETS] schemes are more about privatising the atmosphere than about preventing climate change... Regulating by carbon trading is like fiddling as Rome burns… We face a stark choice: we can destroy the conditions for human life on the planet by clinging to "free-market" fundamentalism, or we can secure our future by bringing commerce within the laws of ecological sustainability and social justice".

(see: Dr Vandana Shiva, "The poor are burdened twice ", New Statesman, 17 September 2009 ).

Stephen Lendman (leading liberal Jewish American US economic analyst and commentator):" Overall, carbon trading is a scam, first promoted in the 1980s under Reagan. ...Contributing $4,452,585 to Democrats in 2008 (around $1 million to Obama) was mere pocket change [to Goldman Sachs] for what it can reap from scams like cap and trade disguised as an environmental plan. The scheme was devised. GS [Goldman Sachs] helped write it. The House passed it and sent it to the Senate. Unless stopped, it will transfer more of our wealth to corporate polluters and Wall Street on top of all they've stolen so far from derivatives fraud and the imploded housing and other bubbles. And Goldman will lead the way finding new ways to do it until there's nothing left to extract." (see: Stephen Lendman,"Obama's cap and trade emissions bill – a stealth scheme to license pollution and fraud", MWC News, 8 July 2009 ).

For other comments by top climate scientists, economists and analysts see "Top science & economics experts: Carbon Tax needed and NOT Cap-and-Trade Emission Trading Scheme (ETS)": Top science & economics experts: Carbon Tax needed and NOT Cap-and-Trade Emission Trading Scheme (ETS)

Readers of this thread have to choose between obfuscating and pejorative ad hominem abuse made with the courage of anonymity by an uncredentialled blogger VERSUS the quoted opinions of outstanding climate scientists, analysts and economists.

It should go without saying that all decent folk are obliged to be hostile towards actions that threaten our children, grandchildren and the Planet.

CONTRARY to the utterly false assumption above, I and my associates are firmly OPPOSED to the do-nothing, keep on polluting, irresponsible climate sceptics, climate denialists and functional climate denialists (e.g. Obama, Harper, Rudd and indeed most Western politicans who effectively are doing nothing or next to nothing but pretend otherwise).

I am a very active member of 300.org (see: 300.org - return atmosphere CO2 to 300 ppm) . the Melbourne-based Yarra Valley Climate Action Group (see: Yarra Valley Climate Action Group ), the Australia-based Climate Emergency Network (see: Climate Emergency Network), of which ALL advocate reduction of atmospheric CO2 from the current 390 ppm to 300 ppm ASAP for a safe planet for all peoples and all species. and do so through websites , rallies, demonstrations, conferences, flyers, writing and lectures.

Many top climate scientists, analysts and top climate economists think that cap and trade is a very BAD idea that has been proven to be ineffective and is likely to create a market bubble that will make the recent financial collapse look like a picnic (see "Top science & economics experts: Carbon Tax needed and NOT Cap-and-Trade Emission Trading Scheme (ETS)": Top science & economics experts: Carbon Tax needed and NOT Cap-and-Trade Emission Trading Scheme (ETS) ).