In his President's Address to the 50th Synod of the Diocese of Melbourne on Wednesday, Archbishop Philip Freier highlighted the plight of Australia's Pacific neigbours. "This month the Pacific island archipelagos of Tuvalu and Tokelau declared states of emergency, having almost exhausted their drinking water supplies' he said. "The Solomon islanders have suffered coastal erosion, threats to water supplies and food production and the costs incurred with flooding,"

He praised the passing of Federal legislation to price carbon, but criticised the carbon tax debate over the last year as being too focussed on the "short-term impact on our finances," instead of the long-term effectiveness of carbon pricing and the relative merits of a carbon trading scheme compared with a carbon tax.

Source

• Anglican Diocese of Melbourne
• Image: The Conversation

Blanchett joined the debate in a pro-carbon tax advertisement shown on Australian television and she along with 140 prominent Australians, including former Liberal leaders, Malcolm Frazer and John Hewson are backing the Labor-Green carbon tax proposal.

"We say 'Yes' to a price on pollution and renewable energy investment, 'Yes' to jobs and 'Yes' to protecting our ecosystems, health and environment before it's too late," the open letter states (pdf).

Responding to criticism, Blanchett said, "Everyone will benefit if we protect the environment. There is a societal cost of increased pollution and that's what I'm passionate about as a mother. That's where it gets me in the gut."

"I can't look my children in the face if I'm not trying to do something in my small way and to urge other people."

"Everyone will benefit if we protect the environment. There is a societal cost of increased pollution and that's what I'm passionate about as a mother. That's where it gets me in the gut," she said. "I can't look my children in the face if I'm not trying to do something in my small way and to urge other people."

The current Liberal leader and leader of the opposition leader, Tony Abbott, lambasted the advert. "People who are worth $53m have a right to be heard - but their voice should not be heard ahead of the ordinary working people of this country," he said.

But Blanchett said her support for a price of carbon was conditional on there being "generous assistance" for low and middle-income households, which the government has promised.

Australians are among the world's worst per capita carbon polluters, but plans for the tax aimed at cutting gases blamed for global warming have seen the government's popularity plummet due to fears over higher household bills.

A determined Gillard said, "Overwhelmingly Australians accept that climate change is real, and people do want to act."

"Now I understand that people are a bit uncertain, they want to know what is the best way forward to deal with climate change."

Sydney Cardinal, George Pell recently lambasted the report to the Senate by head of the Bureau of Meteorology, Dr Greg Ayers.

"Ayers, when he spoke to the House, was obviously a hot-air specialist," Pell said.

"I've rarely heard such an unscientific contribution."

In his recent Sunday newspaper column the Cardinal admitted to spending a lot of time studying "this stuff" and regretted when a discussion of these things is not based on scientific fact.

Sources

• SMH
• The Guardian
• SMH
• Yahoo News
• Image: Adelaide Now