PM 'scaremongering' on economic effects of climate change
Labor's environment spokesman Peter Garrett says Prime Minister John Howard is scaremongering on the economic effects of climate change.
At the weekend Mr Howard warned of a "Garrett recession" if Labor wins office, saying Mr Garrett supports a 20 per cent cut in greenhouse gas emissions by 2020.
Labor's policy is for a 60 per cent cut by 2050.
Mr Garrett says Mr Howard's comments show he is treating climate change as a political problem.
"It's blatant scaremongering to come in front of his colleagues and start saying 'we're talking about a Garrett recession'," he said.
"I really don't think people will see this as a particularly credible comment nor take it that seriously.
"The Prime Minister has sat on his hands for 11 years, he's exposed on climate change.
"He's had deniers in his Cabinet, he hasn't acted on the issue at all, he's rejected emissions trading in 2003, they threw it out of the Cabinet.
"The Australian Greenhouse Office stopped modelling emissions trading, and he's trying to treat it as a political problem, not as a serious problem."
But federal Environment Minister Malcolm Turnbull has continued the attack on Labor over its approach to climate change.
The Government has announced it will set up a carbon trading scheme to try to cut greenhouse gas emissions, to be in place by 2012.
Mr Turnbull has told Macquarie Radio the scheme will increase the price of energy, but he says Labor's policy could crash the economy.
"The big problem with Labor's policy is that it is all ideology," he said.
"Is it is fanatically motivated, because they are obsessed with this issue, it's become a new religion for them now."
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Monday, June 04, 2007
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