Thread by @simonahac

true story…

the first time i met @AngusTaylorMP, atmospheric carbon dioxide concentration was 393.5 ppm and the newly preselected member for hume was at the start of his parliamentary crusade against renewables energy.

(he'd been fighting as a private citizen for years.)

he was routinely addressing anti-wind farm rallies…

x.com/KetanJ0/status…
youtu.be/evzuiIEgfmw

taylor would go on to attend community forums and boast how he was doing his best to kill the renewable energy target…

taylor was advocating for the coalition to dismantle the RET, possibly replacing it with gas generation and/or purchasing cheap international carbon credits — forgoing thousands of jobs & driving up energy costs.

reneweconomy.com.au/the-dangerous-…

taylor worked hard to support @HonTonyAbbott & @GregHuntMP in cutting the RET from 41TWh to 33TWh — at the time this represented a reduction of the remaining target by ~40%, thousands of jobs and ~6Mt of emissions reductions *every* year, reductions we could use right about now.

in 2014 @AngusTaylorMP said:

"the new climate religion, recruiting disciples every day, has little basis on fact and everything to do with blind faith."

in 2018, upon taking the role as energy minister, taylor said:

"i am and have been for many years deeply sceptical of the economics of so many of the emissions reduction programs dreamed up by politicians, vested interests and technocrats around the world."

back in 2013, while i was concerned, among other things, that we were about to cross the 400 ppm milestone, @AngusTaylorMP told me i’d better get used to the fact that the world would zoom straight past 500 ppm.

…would zoom straight past 500 ppm…

we’re currently at 414.7 ppm.

so, please excuse me if i have little confidence that the man with his hand on the dial — the minister for emissions reduction — has the slightest intention of reducing australia’s emissions.