Can a carbon price save us from catastrophic global warning?

Date: 12:00 pm | Saturday 8 October 2011

Venue: Adelaide Town Hall

Scientists say significant climate change is already locked in and urgent action is needed to limit global temperature rises to 2°C – the target set by world leaders at Cancun. From next July, big emitters in Australia will pay $23 for every tonne of CO2 pumped into the atmosphere, but this still leaves coal-fired electricity far cheaper than gas, let alone renewable energy. Is it too little, too late? The task of cutting emissions poses a far bigger technical challenge than flying to the moon, so why don’t we have programs of Apollo-like proportions to further develop and deploy alternative energy? And why would we rule out an existing technology like nuclear power?