As his slogans show, prime minister Tony Abbott is prone to shrinking major conflicts worthy of debate into three simple words.
His latest is “Goodies versus Baddies” – except that coal represents the goodies and solar energy for the baddies.
Abbott slogans not just for coal
It’s not the first time the prime minister has reduced major issues into campaign material. His slogan for the international refugee crisis was “Stop the Boats” while his “Axe the Tax” was his ridiculous motion to remove carbon taxes, leading into Direct Action – a bill that rewards carbon emission offenders instead of taxing them for polluting the environment.
“Goodies versus Baddies” isn’t an entirely new slogan either. The slogan was used by the prime minister a while back in reference to the conflicts in the Middle East. This time however, the prime minister is using the slogan in the fight between coal and renewable energy.
Of course coal has to refer to the good guys
The prime minister has been very verbal about his support for the coal industry. He has stated in the past that he believed coal was good for humanity, that it is essential for prosperity, and more recently at G20 he stated he will continue to stand up for coal.
This is seen in Tony Abbott’s recent move to cut down Australia’s Renewable Energy Target for 2020 by 40% and his motion for Direct Action. While the prime minister convinces himself that his move is for the general good, the rest of the world still sees this as an unnecessary evil.
RET: India and China going in the opposite direction
India and China, in particular, are going the exact opposite route as Australia. India is already on the move to completely halt the import of thermal coal by the following three years.
Narenda Modi, the prime minister of India, told his audience in Sydney, Australia that while India still had over 400 Million people living without electricity, the country would not resort to energy that would eventually melt glaciers – essentially stating that safe, renewable energy was the way to go.
China is singing the same tune as well. While it may remain one of the world’s leading importers of coal, the goal is to completely halt import by 2020. This October of 2014 the country already halved its total import average.
The rest of the world is already on the other side of the fence when it comes to renewable energy – solar power is cheaper, far more reliable, and it is environment friendly. While oil and coal supply will continue to drop, solar technology will continue to adapt and evolve.
But what explains Tony Abbott’s support for coal and fossil fuel? There are many theories thrown around the media these days, some speculating on his lack of knowledge or economic literacy but political experts are pointing a far simpler explanation: vested interests.
Many privatized coal companies and oil suppliers supported Tony Abbott’s slogan campaign and it is only natural for the prime minister to support his source of financial backing.
Obviously, in the point of view of his personal pockets, his “Goodies versus Baddies” slogan is a justifiable notion for supporting non-environment friendly energy sources.
