Abbot Gov's Energy Plan Completely Omits Climate, Chooses Invisible Handjob Instead

Australia’s power generation and transport fuel use will be left to the market to decide, the Abbott government says in its long-awaited energy white paper, which does not discuss climate change as a driver of energy policy.

The government promises a hands-off “technology neutral” approach to the electricity market and the future of transport fuels, saying it will not try to shut down old coal-fired power plants or push new technologies into the market to try to reduce greenhouse emissions.

Unlike the former Labor government’s 2012 white paper, which predicted rising gas exports but also a domestic switch from fossil fuels to renewables, or John Howard’s 2004 white paper which devoted an entire chapter to the impact of climate change on energy policy, the Abbott government’s 2015 white paper mentions climate change just once, and does not see emissions reductions as an energy policy goal.

“Investment decisions on future (electricity) generation assets, including choice of technology, are best made by industry, given its insights into market needs. The Australian government will seek to maintain stable and predictable policy settings across the range of areas that affect such investment decisions, while taking a technology-neutral approach,” the energy white paper says.

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http://www.theguardian.com/australia-news/2015/apr/08/climate-change-ignored-in-energy-white-paper-that-lets-market-rule-future-policy