Honest Government Ad | the Safeguard Mechanism (Patreon)

Dear Patrons

Here is our first new Honest Government Ad for 2023!

It's also our first HGA about our new government's climate policy. And as such it sets the scene for our coverage of climate shitf*ckery during this season of the Honest Government Ads.

As you know, we took a short break from Australian politics following last year's election. This was partly to give me time to see what our new government's policies would be like - especially it's climate policies.

Personally, I genuinely want Labor to succeed at tackling the climate crisis. So when they legislated their 43% emission reduction target for 2030 - even though it's a Shit-Lite target (the science says that to remain under 1.5 degrees warming, we should be aiming for 75% by 2030 and net zero by 2035) - we didn't make an HGA about it because it was still an important symbolic achievement to legislate a target.

But how sad is that? After a wasted decade of inaction under the Coalition, everything seems cause for celebration: even a slightly-less inadequate target than the one proposed by the last government. Which is still inadequate.

Which goes to the heart of what I feel is the challenge for us ahead: the Shit Party set the bar so low on climate action, that we're conditioned to applaud even Shit-Lite policies from our new government. And the Safeguard Mechanism bill Labor is about to table in Parliament next week (it will be voted on in March, I believe) - is very much Shit-Lite.

Coz when Labor introduced its 43% target, the question was always going to be: how would it propose to reach that target? Would it be through genuine emission reductions - which can only be attained by not opening up *new* coal and gas projects (especially massive new ones, like Woodside's Scarborough/Pluto gas project in WA)? Or would it be through bullshit solutions that pretend to regulate our biggest emitters, whilst actually letting them do whatever they like for the rest of this decade?

And now that Labor has indicated it will adopt a tweaked version of the former Coalition government's "Safeguard Mechanism" (which was made to safeguard fossil fuel companies, not the climate), I think it's safe to say that sadly, it's going to be the latter approach.

Because the Safeguard does not stop new coal and gas projects from opening up; it only covers a small portion of existing ones' total emissions; and lets them buy infinite carbon credits to "offset" those emissions. Except, those credits are the subject of major integrity concerns which have not been resolved by Labor's snap "independent" review into the offset methods.  

Which means the "climate wars" are far from over, as some want us to believe - they've merely entered a new, subtler chapter. In which governments offer solutions designed to appear like they are taking the climate crisis seriously, but are not. And of course, this isn't unique to Australia: it's what most the governments of most heavy emitting nations are doing.

So calling out these bullshit climate "solutions" - not just in Australian politics, but also in other countries - will be a defining part of our work during the coming years. And I wouldn't be surprised if this turns out to be the defining challenge for the climate movement, this decade.  

So, welcome to the opening HGA of this new era of our climate shitfuckery coverage! I have the feeling the Honest Government Ads will play an important, hopefully useful role, in keeping people informed during the decade of greenfuckery.™

Anyway, those are some of my thoughts behind this HGA, and where we're hoping to focus going forward.

As always, we could never take on this challenge without you - our Patrons' support. The HGAs require detailed research and writing, and the time to do this is made possible by your reglar monthly contributions. So I want to thank you sincerely for this support - and remind you that we never take it for granted.

You'll find the PG version for this video on our website shortly. And we might also do a podcast interview next week (we'll see! I might also just dive into the next HGA)

Until then, take care

Giordano

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