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Let's walk before we can run. It's difficulty enough to get countries to reduce their own emissions. Asking them to compromise their exports to reduce others' e
by eeh 7y ago
Let's walk before we can run. It's difficulty enough to get countries to reduce their own emissions. Asking them to compromise their exports to reduce others' emissions is simply not viable at the moment.
- mceoin 7y agoWhy shouldn't a citizenry decide to limit exports of certain goods when it is in their own interest to do so? We certainly do this with uranium already. Likewise with weapons technology and all manner of harmful trade vectors. Australia's coal industry provides few jobs, is heavily government subsidized (either explicitly or through direct infrastructure funding), pays little to no tax, and creates environmental harm that the majority of the electorate disagree with. [Sorry HN: I know I should be supporting this with annotations but am time pressed today.]
- eeh 7y agoOne of Queensland's few industries is the coal industry, and so it grips on to it. https://www.theguardian.com/australia-news/2018/jun/08/coal-comfort-queensland-budget-to-benefit-from-surging-mining-royalties https://www.theguardian.com/australia-news/2018/jun/08/coal-... Regional Queenslanders don't want to end up like the old coal mining towns of the UK, which still have not recovered from the mine closures in 1980s. https://www.theguardian.com/society/2017/aug/26/blighted-coalfields-village-life-pit-village-people-starving-horden-co-durham https://www.theguardian.com/society/2017/aug/26/blighted-coa... I'm not saying coal is morally defensible, but this is democracy in action.