Have your say on emissions trading

Dear friend,

The Senate wants to hear what you think about the Rudd Government's emissions trading scheme.

The Greens have established a Senate Inquiry into Climate Policy, which will report on the environmental adequacy of the Government's scheme. You can directly address Senators – before they vote on the scheme – by making a submission.

Have your say on emissions trading.

The best the Government itself can say about its so-called 'Carbon Pollution Reduction Scheme' is that it is better than nothing. The Greens disagree. It is worse than useless.

The Government's plan will undermine existing policies to move Australia to renewable energy, energy efficiency and clean transport. It will pay polluters billions of dollars in compensation and use the voluntary emissions reductions you make to free up even more permits for polluters. Worst of all, it will lock Australia into a weak 5% emissions reduction target and close off the option of achieving the much deeper cuts in greenhouse emissions we need to prevent climate catastrophe.

Have your say on emissions trading.

If you want an emissions trading scheme that makes polluters pay instead of paying them to keep polluting, a scheme that creates new green jobs and stimulates investment in clean industries, a scheme that will see Australia play its fair role in preventing climate catastrophe, then please tell the Senate you don’t want a scheme that’s ‘better than nothing’ – you want the best emissions trading scheme there is.

Have your say on emissions trading.

Thank you,
Christine Milne
Deputy Leader of the Australian Greens