These are taxing times for Julia Gillard, PM of Australia, who came to power with the support of Green Party. Her move to introduce carbon tax has been met with protests and call for polls in major cities of Australia.
Carbon tax is a fixed fee that domestic emitters must pay to the government on every tonne of CO2 they release into the atmosphere. This measure is resorted to discourage people and industries from using fossil fuels and decrease GHG emission. This will encourage people to switch on to cleaner forms of energy.
From July next year, 500 of Australia’s biggest polluters will have to start paying a tax of A$23 a tonne on their own carbon emissions (CO2).
On 16th August, thousands of people gathered in Canberra , the Capital of Australia to protest against the move to introduce carbon tax.
People held placards with wordings such as – ‘Go Julia Go’, ‘Ju-Liar’.
Irony is Gillard had promised her voters during polls that she would not introduce such a legislation if she would come to power. But, like in India, coalition compulsions have led her to go for such measures in spite of domestic opposition.
If Monsoon session is creating a storm in India, the spring session in Australian Parliament is threatening a hurricane. (When it is summer in Northern Hemisphere, it is winter Down Under)
Australia emits 1.5% of global emissions. This measure to curb emissions is unpopular as people are more concerned about employment and livelihood.
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