Dear  Sam

All over the western world, the penny is dropping. People are coming to realise that “global warming” is
a phony crisis. More slowly they are learning that the misguided policies being promoted to change
future climate will create real crises in energy and food supplies and costs.
Already food prices have soared, and energy projects have been stopped or delayed. Asia, Russia
and the Middle East look on in disbelief as we commit economic suicide. If this man-made crisis
coincides with natural global cooling (which will cause a sudden drop in food production) the world will
become a cold, selfish, hungry and unpleasant place.  Not a nice legacy for our children.

The US, Germany and even UK are waking up to the danger as electoral anger on food and energy
prices grows. Only the somnambulists in the South Pacific, Australia and New Zealand,
are still insisting on nailing our people onto the Emissions Trading Cross.
We have about 2 years to stop this hysteria from consuming our futures.
But we must kill it stone dead. The great danger is that Emissions Trading will be introduced, but so
slowly that almost no one will notice its introduction. Compensation, exceptions and low rates of
carbon tax will be combined with lots of make-believe green jobs.
The costs will be there, prosperity will decline, but a whole cadre of people will be receiving
subsidy bribes, or have jobs living on this scam.
They will become a mercenary army of vested interests determined to maintain their artificial jobs and
their legislated assets.  Once it is in, we will never get it out.

We will get little help from politicians and the media, until they see the turn in the tide of public opinion.
They are followers not leaders.
We have to reach past the media and the politicians using our own resources.
The internet and word of mouth are our media.
But we need lots of people relaying the messages everywhere – media, politicians and electors.

I am amazed every time a newsletter or media release like this goes out to our growing mail list.
Within 30 minutes I hear it is on web sites in Canada, US, Britain, Australia, New Zealand and Europe.
And several people have already reported that they have each sent it to several hundred more.
Then we start getting messages or congratulations from people we have never heard of.
Please keep this ball rolling.

People often ask about the futility of “preaching to the converted”.
That is not what we are doing – we are “arming the disciples”.
We will get little assistance from traditional media, so we have to create our own circles of
correspondents. We now have a worldwide network of active organizations and web sites.
And our mail lists are expanding fast.

This newsletter is going only to those individuals on our mail lists.
So please pass it on as far as possible - to friends, associates, media and politicians.

Sorry, Sorry, Sorry.

Many people have written to me and have had no answer.
Not because we have ignored your message. We look at and read everything, but may not reply
immediately.
Moreover, the increased traffic has caused us to upgrade computers and software – what a trauma.
So, apologies if you have written and had no reply.

Illustrators needed for our next submission: “Don’t crucify Australia on the Emissions Trading Cross”.

Today’s job is to prepare our response to Penny Wong’s Green Paper, whose title is above.
We need an illustration or cartoon of  “the Emissions Trading Cross”. Can anyone help.
We need it within a day or so.

Viv Forbes

The report below “Planned Chaos in Energy” can also be found on our web site. Please pass it on:

http://carbon-sense.com/2008/09/05/planned-chaos-in-energy/
 
 

Australian state and federal governments are today pursuing plans that must produce high prices for
electricity and gas, electricity blackouts and high risks to petrol and diesel supplies.

Every proposed government energy policy seems designed to create long term energy chaos
for Australians. Three foolish policies stand out:

1. The Emissions Tax Scam

The silliest energy policy of all is the whole carbon reduction program, with:

    ·       its creation of a costly artificial emissions industry, trading in hot air,

    ·       its taxes on power and fuel costs, and

    ·       its mandates and subsidies for renewable energy speculations and playthings.

Without nuclear power, there is zero chance that windmills, solar panels, water power, hot rocks
and ethanol stills can replace carbon fuels to power our cities, cars, factories, farms and transport
fleets within the timeframe demanded by the Warmists.
There is also no hope that existing carbon emissions from power stations, cement factories,
steel works, smelters, vehicles, trains, ships and aircraft can be captured and stored in that time frame.
The cuts demanded could only be achieved by politically unacceptable cuts in Australian living standards.
This means that they will not occur.

Therefore the sole result of the whole carbon scare campaign will be to add a large but unpredictable
tax burden to the cost of all energy (to buy emission permits or pay penalty taxes). It is merely a
tax grab and will do nothing to reduce the warmth of the atmosphere, even if that were a
desirable or achievable goal.

(It could even be worse than that if we join an international scheme whereby Australian power
consumers have to fund the purchase of emission permits from foreigners.
That way, the only beneficiaries of the Emissions Tax are foreigners).

  “If we overdo wind, we are going to put up the price of electricity and that means
                 more people will fall into the fuel poverty trap.”
 
 

2. Encouraging the Waste of Gas Resources.

The next silly aspect of current energy policy is one that mandates the use of gas for base load electricity
generation on the false claim that the gases produced by burning natural gas are preferable to the gases
formed by burning natural coal. This is a nonsense argument – coal and gas are
natural hydrocarbon products.
When burnt, both carbon fuels produce the same two “greenhouse” gases
(water vapour and carbon dioxide).
And water in all of its forms has far more influence on climate than the tiny amounts of CO2
in the atmosphere.
These gases are not pollutants, and they do not drive climate change, but they are food and drink for
all life on earth.

Natural gas and coal seam gas are normally too valuable to waste in base load power stations when
ample coal is available for this purpose. Gas is far more valuable for chemical feedstock, peak load
power stations, and for easily transportable fuel for vehicles, boats and the backyard barbecues.
Normal cars won’t run on coal, but they will run on gas.
Our extensive gas resources could deliver more value to Australia by reducing our reliance on
imported petroleum and earning export income.

Forcing power companies to use more gas instead of cheaper coal is going to force up the price of gas,
increase the price of electricity, and do nothing useful for the environment. Gas is a fine fuel, and
should be allowed to compete for markets in any application, but governments should not encourage its
waste with legislative mandates and subsidies in its favour.

3. Reducing Energy Security

Finally, Australia’s energy policies pose a severe threat to future energy supplies and security.
In case it has escaped the notice of politicians, Australia does not run on sunbeams and
sea breezes – it runs on carbon fuels – coal, petroleum products and natural gas.
Every bit of food relies on diesel tractors, diesel harvesters, diesel road trains, diesel and
electric locomotives, diesel trucks, diesel or electric water pumps, helicopters running on avgas and
quad bikes drinking petrol. Forestry, fishing and mineral extraction also run on carbon fuels for boats,
trucks, dozers, drilling rigs, land-cruisers and electric power. The jet aircraft that power the
tourist industry guzzle kerosene. The suburbs move on petrol. All are carbon fuels.

The only other proven, reliable and politically accepted energy source in Australia is hydro power.
But it will not move our cars or road trains, and any expansion will be opposed by the same mob for
the same reasons.

Australia is the most decentralised and isolated country in the world. It relies totally on efficient
internal and international transport. It is too late to go back to the “green energy” represented by
draught horses, bullock teams, sulkies, sailing ships, pit ponies and the Light Horse Brigade.
Without coal and petroleum fuels, outback Australia closes down, city Australia starves and
our defence forces are totally immobilised.

However, every year, less oil is produced in Australia and more oil is imported from unstable and
unfriendly countries. Too much land is closed to exploration, and every Australian coal mine or
oil shale development has to run a gauntlet of opposition and delay.

Once upon a time, energy supplies were largely in the hands of the West, and our oil supplies came
from safe sources, on safe oceans, protected by Anglo-American Navies. That is no longer the case.
Other navies and pirates now roam our seas. And the Big Sisters now control just 13% of
oil resources – the rest is controlled by governments,
many of whom are openly or latently hostile to the West.

The movement of a few Russian tanks into Georgia has woken the dreamy Europeans.
They suddenly see the extreme danger of their anti-coal, anti-nuclear policies, which have forced
places like Germany into a heavy reliance on imported Russian oil and gas.

 “This is the energy election. It will determine our future peace and prosperity. And
 Alaska Governor Sarah Palin has the energy answer:

Our abundant country can produce more energy at lower cost if government gets
 out of the way.”

Larry Kudlow, National Review 3 September 2008

http://article.nationalreview.com/?q=NzYyMmU0ODE1ZjFlMjZkODcwNTdiOTgzYjI4ODdlYWI

Australia could awake one morning to a similar alarm. The Middle East, Nigeria or Venezuela could
erupt in one day; Russian oil and gas could be turned off overnight; one warship could block the
Strait of Hormuz; or an oil tanker could go aground or be subject to terrorist attack on the
Barrier Reef or at the entrance to Sydney Harbour.

All of these risks pose more threat to Australia and the environment than to explore for, develop and
produce coal, oil and gas from any part of our land or
continental shelf (including sedimentary basins east of the Great Barrier Reef).

For too long our energy security has been damaged by extreme environmentalists who oppose,
hinder and delay exploration and development of every feasible energy source with bans,
moratoriums, scare stories and never-ending public enquiries.

As a result of the obstacles to exploration and resource development in Australia, Australian geologists,
engineers and drillers are busy in places like Mozambique, Mongolia and the Middle East.

They could be at home, ensuring an energy future for Australia.

Viv Forbes

Chairman

The Carbon Sense Coalition

MS 23  Rosewood        Qld      4340

0754 640 533

info@carbon-sense.com
www.carbon-sense.com.