Abbot Picks Climate Denier To Set Renewable Energy Targets For Australia
The Abbott government has launched a formal review of Australia's 20 per cent renewable energy target, choosing senior business figure and climate change sceptic Dick Warburton to head it. Environment Minister Greg Hunt and Energy Minister Ian Macfarlane launched the review on Monday afternoon, saying it would focus on the target’s impacts on electricity prices, the renewable energy sector, manufacturing and households.
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In 2011 Mr Warburton co-authored a two part-article in the conservative journal Quadrant called "The Intelligent Voter's Guide to Global Warming", which questioned the findings of mainstream science about how much global warming would be caused by man-made emissions.
Chief executive of the Australian Energy Market Operator Matt Zema, former chief executive of Verve Energy, Shirley In't Veld, and former head of the Australian Bureau of Agricultural & Resource Economics & Sciences, Dr Brian Fisher, will also be on the review team, which is due to report its findings to the Prime Minister's department by mid-year.
The renewable energy sector has been concerned that the target is about to be slashed or even dumped following several negative comments by Prime Minister Tony Abbott about its impact on electricity prices. Mr Abbott made fresh comments about renewable energy and the target in an interview with Sydney broadcaster Alan Jones on Monday morning. He said the target was having a "not insignificant" impact on power prices, but not as great an impact as the carbon tax.
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http://www.theage.com.au/federal-politics/political-news/climate-sceptic-to-head-abbott-review-into-renewable-energy-target-20140217-32vve.html
