Carbon Price Ok , Now Let’s Save the Coral Sea

A price on carbon is essential to combating global warming,
to stimulate clean energy development and greater energy efficiency,  says a report by the Organisation for
Economic Co-operation and Development (OECD), coming out as the international
community prepares for the Durban conference on climate change. Meanwhile,
Australia, with its carbon price legislation tied up, has committed to
establish the world’s largest protected marine area in the Coral Sea, covering
989,842 square kilometres off the north east coast of the Queensland,
Australia.

By David Wroe, Canberra, in The Age (25 Noveber 2011):

A price on carbon is essential to combating global warming,
a report by the Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development has
found, giving a boost to the federal government after weeks of debate on the
carbon tax.

As the international community prepares for the Durban
conference on climate change, set to start in South Africa on Monday, the
OECD’s environmental outlook to 2050 urges countries to adopt carbon prices to
stimulate clean energy development and greater efficiency.

”A significant carbon price is needed to induce
technological change,” the report said.

Carbon taxes and emissions trading schemes would ”provide a
dynamic incentive for innovation and private investment in low-carbon,
climate-resilient infrastructure, plant and equipment,” the report states.

In one of the gloomiest recent forecasts, the report found
that without more ambitious policies, the atmospheric concentration of carbon
dioxide equivalents would reach nearly 685 parts per million by 2050 – much
more than the 450 ppm scientists believe is needed for the world to have a
chance at keeping the average global temperature rise to 2 degrees. If this
happens, the global temperature is likely to rise by 3 to 6 degrees by the end
of the century, which would ”continue to alter precipitation patterns, melt
glaciers, cause sea-level rise and intensify extreme weather events to
unprecedented levels”.

The latest global climate conference in Durban is widely
expected to deliver no new international treaty for binding carbon dioxide
cuts. However, the report by the OECD – a collection of 34 developed nations –
is likely to help inject some sense of urgency into discussions, warning that
delays will make climate action costlier in years ahead.

”Delay is costly and could become unaffordable. The further
we delay action, the costlier it will be to stay within 2 degrees,” the report
found, ”450 ppm is still achievable, but the costs are rising every day, month
and year that passes to compensate for the increased emissions.”

The report came as China confirmed it was establishing seven
pilot carbon market schemes in the cities of Beijing, Tianjin, Chongqing and
Shanghai, as well as the industrial regions of Shenzhen, Hubei and Guangdong –
covering as many as 200 million people.

A spokesman for Climate Change Minister Greg Combet said the
OECD report confirmed that ”putting a price on carbon is the most effective
policy because it creates dynamic incentives for investment in cleaner
technologies and infrastructure”.

Source: www.theage.com.au

By Matthew Knight on CNN (25 November 20110:

The Australian government has announced plans to establish
the world’s largest protected marine area in the Coral Sea.

The proposed Coral Sea Commonwealth Marine Reserve will
cover 989,842 square kilometers (around 380,000 square miles) — an area
roughly one tenth the size of the U.S.

“Australia’s vast oceans provide a source of food and
resources, and are a place of recreation. But we cannot afford to be
complacent,” Australia’s environment minister Tony Burke said.

“In the space of one lifetime, the world’s oceans have
gone from being relatively pristine to being under increasing pressure.

The environmental significance of the Coral Sea lies in its
diverse array of coral reefs, sandy cays, deep sea plains and canyons.

Tony Burke, Australia’s environment minister

“The environmental significance of the Coral Sea lies
in its diverse array of coral reefs, sandy cays, deep sea plains and canyons.
It contains more than 20 outstanding examples of isolated tropical reefs, sandy
cays and islands,” he added.

The Coral Sea is located off Australia’s northeast coast and
stretches from the Great Barrier Reef to Papua New Guinea in the north and the
Solomon Islands in the east.

Its shallow reef systems, say the Australian government,
support tropical ecosystems abundant in hard and soft corals, sponges, algae,
fish communities and other creatures such as nautilus and sea stars.

The largely uninhabited islands also support critical
nesting sites for green turtles and a range of seabird species.

Protect Our Coral Sea — a environmental campaign group
supported by several conservation organizations — described the announcement
as “a good start,” but said the plans fall short of full protection
for coral and marine life.

“Only the eastern half of this ocean treasure has been
set aside as a safe haven for marine life. The western half contains most of
the species-rich coral reefs and critical spawning sites for black marlin and
threatened tuna,” Darren Kindleysides from the Australian Marine
Conservation Society said in a statement.

There now follows a 90-day public consultation period which
the government says will assist in finalizing the proposals.

Source: www.edition.cnn.com