Australia passed its controversial pollution tax on Tuesday. The historic reform is aimed at lowering carbon emissions blamed for climate change. The Senate approved the Clean Energy Act by 36 votes to 32, which requires Australia's coal-fired power stations and other major emitters to “pay to pollute” from July 1 next year. Prime Minister, Julia Gillard said it has taken “quarter of a century of scientific warnings, 37 parliamentary inquiries and years of bitter debate and division” to bring about pollution tax. “Today Australia has a price on carbon as the law of our land,” said Gillard. “Today we have made history after all of these days of debate and division, our nation has got the job done.” The scheme will levy a price of AUS$23 (US$23.80) per tonne on carbon pollution in an effort to address “the devastating impacts of climate change”. Australia was hit by floods and cyclones earlier this year and scientists have warned climate change will likely make extreme weather events more frequent. Further investment in renewable energy sources is among the initiatives Gillard plans to take to cut Australia's carbon emissions by 160 million tonnes by 2020, which is the equivalent to taking 45 million cars off the road. BM
