Comment 26 by rolan

I was referring to the Carbon Tax legislation which is currently before parliament in Australia. It is a multi-billion dollar cost which due to the nature of the inbuilt compensations and allowances will ultimately line the pockets of multinationals and direct funds offshore for the purchase of carbon credits. (Actually an independent report released today has shown that, due to the structure of the tax, the steel industry will receive a net windfall and the coal industry has no need to change current practices).

Thank you for the information (above) clarifying of this comment (below):

@20 by rolan - Also Comment 11 by Alan4discussion - Sure, at any cost may be an exaggeration, but in Australia the billions of dollars that will be taken out of the economy to mitigate the negligible contribution (on a global scale) to greenhouse emissions seems disproportionate. (Mind you, the whole approach of the Government in this area is all over the place, so perhaps it's just the implementation not the intention which is flawed).

Clearly paying compensation to polluters is inappropriate. Carbon credits are a fudge and a sop to polluting industries. The principle of "the polluter must pay", should be applied, along with tax credits or grants to get innovative cleaner industries up to speed.

Ironically, you may not have noticed, but for the rest of your post we are in agreement about funding policy and technology which directly addresses emissions. The Australian Government is not doing this.

I had noticed your agreement @20 on the issues I quoted @23, but thank you for the information about the Australian government. (I live in England)

This discussion is primarily about the science of AGW and climate change, but how industry and life styles need to adapt would follow on from that, as much of the obstructive denial is based on a lack of understanding of the available options.