CO2 on the brink of 400ppm marker - Tasmania's Cape Grim

Cape Grim, Tasmania. Measures pollution in some of cleanest air in world

Air pollution soon to pass 400ppm

The world's climate scientists will soon have their attention focused firmly on Tasmania's CO2 reading station in Tasmania, which measures pollution in a very clean air environment. The reading is about to go past 400 parts per million for the first time.

This whilst Australia's CO2 emissions have increased with an increased use of coal under the Abbott/Turnbull gov. A gov that won a political scare campaign election over carbon pricing and saw Australia's carbon trading scheme abolished by them, despite it working well to reduce carbon emissions. "Axe the tax" and all that.

And still the Lieberals ignore, even debate whether the science is even proven yet. Insanity. Fossil fools.

The approaching global CO2 threshold comes as climate change looks like becoming one of the key issues in Australia's election campaign. 

The Turnbull government has made clear it will oppose Labor's proposals for an emissions trading scheme that will again put a price on carbon pollution. 

Abbott gov celebrates carbon tax repeal

New data out on Tuesday show that emissions from the country's main electricity grid covering the eastern states have risen 5.7 per cent - or 8.7 million tonnes - in the year to April compared with the final 12 months of the carbon tax that the Abbott government scrapped in July 2014, according to energy consultants Pitt & Sherry.


The share of coal in the National Electricity Market has risen to 76.2 per cent - its highest level since September 2012 - from 72.3 per cent during the period since June 2014, the consultants' latest Cedex report said. 

Mark Butler, Labor's shadow environment minister, said the Cape Grim landmark reading was "deeply concerning". 

"While the Coalition fights about whether or not the science of climate change is real, pollution is rising. And it's rising on their watch," Mr Butler said. 

Greens deputy leader Larissa Waters said the Cape Grim result "should act as a global wake-up call and must shock both Australian big political parties out of their blind coal-obsession which is literally cooking our planet and our Great Barrier Reef". 

"Our atmosphere cannot take any new coal mines – both the old parties must stop approving them and revoke their approval of the Adani coal mine [in Queensland] at both the state and federal level," Senator Waters said. Sydney Morning Herald