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You can find the current article at its original source at https://www.theguardian.com/australia-news/2018/dec/19/federal-government-must-end-its-climate-wars-nsw-energy-minister-says
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Federal government must end its ‘climate wars’, NSW energy minister says | Federal government must end its ‘climate wars’, NSW energy minister says |
(about 3 hours later) | |
The New South Wales energy minister, Don Harwin, wants the federal government to end its “climate wars” and start reducing emissions, ahead of a meeting with his colleagues from across Australia. | |
But the Victorian energy minister, Lily D’Ambrosio, says the federal coalition is “beyond hope” on the issue and that NSW is calling them out too late. | |
In an opinion piece published in the Australian Financial Review, Harwin suggested the federal Liberal-National coalition is out of touch on energy and climate policy. | |
“We recognise that climate change is a scientific fact,” Hawin wrote in the piece published on Wednesday. | “We recognise that climate change is a scientific fact,” Hawin wrote in the piece published on Wednesday. |
Time to consider hydrogen, the new clean energy carrier on the block | Rose Amal | Time to consider hydrogen, the new clean energy carrier on the block | Rose Amal |
“It is the responsibility of all governments to address greenhouse gas emissions into the future. | “It is the responsibility of all governments to address greenhouse gas emissions into the future. |
“We need to end the “climate wars” and put science, economics and engineering ahead of ideology.” | |
He will come face-to-face with the federal energy minister, Angus Taylor, and his counterparts from most other states and territories at a Council of Australian Governments meeting on Wednesday. | |
Taylor is hoping to secure agreement at the Adelaide gathering on a policy aimed at improving the reliability of the energy grid by encouraging investment in new generation. | Taylor is hoping to secure agreement at the Adelaide gathering on a policy aimed at improving the reliability of the energy grid by encouraging investment in new generation. |
“I look forward to working with my Coag energy council colleagues to bring power prices down while ensuring the reliability of the grid,” Taylor said. | |
But Harwin stressed that such energy policies should be matched with efforts to grapple with climate change. | |
“The NSW government has consistently made it clear that we believe that there should be an integration of climate and energy policy,” he said. | “The NSW government has consistently made it clear that we believe that there should be an integration of climate and energy policy,” he said. |
Australia’s carbon emissions highest on record, data shows | |
The Liberal-National NSW government announced a target in 2016 to achieve net-zero emissions by 2050. | The Liberal-National NSW government announced a target in 2016 to achieve net-zero emissions by 2050. |
Harwin said he will push on Wednesday for the Energy Security Board to provide policy options to ministers to achieve that vision. | Harwin said he will push on Wednesday for the Energy Security Board to provide policy options to ministers to achieve that vision. |
D’Ambrosio will not be at the meeting but says she expects the federal government will uphold its poor performance on the issue. | |
“We could possibly say they’re beyond hope. They have still no plan, still no policy, on energy and climate change,” she told reporters in Melbourne. | |
The discussion comes after the federal government dumped its flagship energy policy – the National Energy Guarantee – in August. | |
It was aimed at dealing with energy prices, reliability and emissions, but conservatives in the coalition took issue with its emissions targets, with their distaste contributing to Malcolm Turnbull’s downfall. | |
Harwin said the government may have abandoned the policy but it must still “confront the facts”. | |
“The market and industry is looking for certainty on emissions, and policy uncertainty will lead to higher wholesale prices and delayed investment decisions,” he said. | “The market and industry is looking for certainty on emissions, and policy uncertainty will lead to higher wholesale prices and delayed investment decisions,” he said. |
Energy | Energy |
New South Wales | New South Wales |
New South Wales politics | New South Wales politics |
Australian politics | Australian politics |
Coalition | Coalition |
Greenhouse gas emissions | Greenhouse gas emissions |
Coag (Council of Australian governments) | Coag (Council of Australian governments) |
news | news |
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