It seems to me that there are many ways to meaningfully cut CO2 release but all of them have unacceptable socio-economic consequences that society is a long way from accepting.
I could make a list, including Australia stopping the export of coal. But that would bankrupt the nation.
Trading emission credits is fiddling whilst Australia burns.
A couple of points made by an Aussie friend of mine, now living in Canada, are interesting. Essentially he said that forest management policies, driven by the "eco-green" lobby have resulted in a build up of scrub and plant litter. This used to be eliminated by controlled burning when in the winter. But burning produces smoke and upsets the wild life, so it was stopped. Likewise in California, but made worse because of import of gum trees from Oz about 100 years ago in an effort to have faster growing timber. The gum trees got loose and spread but were not suitable for commercial felling while being much more oily and thus burnable than the native trees. Indeed, most species of gum tree need low temperature fires to set their seed: the trees are largely unaffected by small fires. So, by not doing what native australians and americans had done for years, in the name of conservation, we create far larger problems, and blame it on climate change. Yes, climate change is a contributory factor, but our social stupidity is a far greater cause.
Last edited by Peter J; 05/01/20 05:30 PM.
