GEELONG industries face crippling extra costs that could imperil hundreds of jobs under the Gillard Government’s carbon tax, according to global warming critic Lord Christopher Monckton.
The outspoken climate change opponent, snubbed this week by the PM and who has challenged the Greens to debate him publicly, will outline what he argues is a massive scam when he visits Geelong this month.
Lord Monckton told the Independent climate change fears were based on a “scam” driven by a “deluded’’ political class hell-bent on undermining fossil fuel and other industries that were the biggest financial donors of their opponents.
He said no global warming had been recorded in the past 17 years and that the costs of trying to stop temperatures rising constituted a savage attack on the working class, which would pay in higher fuel and energy charges.
“It’s blindingly obvious that any measure to stop carbon dioxide won’t be cost-effective, it has to be the least cost-effective expenditure of tax money I have ever seen,” Lord Monkton said.
Even if temperatures were to rise, which he refused to concede, it would be 36 to 48 times cheaper to let it happen and pay to adapt, he said.
Lord Monckton said the carbon tax was driving a growing number of industry and mining shutdowns across Australia, which could be replicated at Geelong.
He criticised mainstream media for “not letting people know there are facts on the other side”.
“We have to get away from politicising science and working out what will happen, not futile exaggerations.
“Huge profits are being made at the expense of working people who will be hurt first and worst.’
“I think there’s a political class worldwide that got greedy, and some got quite deluded, that’s driving the scam. A large number of people find it expedient and financially profitable to pretend there’s a problem.”
