The Greens have moved to break the political deadlock on climate action, writing to all the key politicians proposing that we adopt Professor Garnaut's suggestion of a two year interim scheme with a fixed price, no trading and no offsets.

Our proposal is designed as a building block for future climate action that's got real teeth. Mr Rudd's CPRS is impossible to strengthen after it's passed, locking in failure before we begin.

Our proposal gives half its revenue back to you - Australia's householders - and is still in the black. Mr Rudd's CPRS pays polluters to keep polluting and ends up deep in debt.

Mr Rudd is making no attempt to get his CPRS through the Senate. We Greens are putting forward a constructive proposal to get Australia moving towards the zero carbon future.

You can read the detail of the proposal here and listen to the press conference here.

The Greens and emissions trading - your questions answered here.

Click MORE to find out how you can help.

Christine Milne, 22nd January 2010

Deadlock on climate action helps no-one

On December 2 last year, after being blind-sided by the unexpected elevation of Tony Abbott to the Liberal Party leadership, the Rudd government made a hasty announcement that they may well come to regret - that they would bring back their twice-defeated emissions trading bill a third time as soon as Parliament resumed in February.

With the date swiftly approaching, blind Freddy could tell you that the opposition will not support the bills and the government is still making no attempt to negotiate amendments with the cross-bench. The whole exercise is looking like a fruitless, time-wasting political stunt.

This deadlock helps no-one. The community is denied action on the climate crisis, the business community is denied the investment certainty they crave, the government looks increasingly impotent and the opposition looks like spoilers.

There is a solution to this deadlock

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