Anti-carbon price ads ‘morally repugnant’

Thursday, 21 July 2011 14:09

The new round of adverts by an anti-carbon price industry lobby group are morally repugnant, Total Environment Centre said today.

“Australians produce 27 tonnes per person every year while the Chinese are at just 6 tonnes.  The adverts are tantamount to individual Australians telling impoverished Chinese peasants that they have to stay at their carbon level, while we continue to enjoy our rich lifestyle.  If we don’t act what right do we have to ask the Chinese government to act?” said Jeff Angel, Executive Director of the Centre.

“What’s even more repugnant is that the backers of these adverts don’t acknowledge the Chinese are doing a lot to reduce the growth in their carbon emissions while trying to pull tens of millions of poor people out of poverty.  The greed and unethical behaviour of these Australian companies is stunning.”

“The Gillard government is right to ignore these adverts, as should the rest of the community.  Our actions as a rich country that can afford to take effective carbon pricing action, will contribute to improved international efforts on climate change because we will have a stronger and more credible voice.”

"The industry group wants Australians to be unethical hypocrites but we are a better country than that", said Mr Angel.