Australia has taken a large step toward becoming a frontrunner in the crusade to fight and reverse climate change as caused by carbon dioxide emissions. The Austrtailian senate, headed by Prime Minister Julia Gillard, passed a package of laws which places a carbon tax on the top 500 polluters in the country. For those who are unaware of what exactly this means, a carbon tax is a pollution tax imposed by governments. The Australian laws define that this fee will be about $23 per tonne of carbon dioxide and will be levied on the use of fossil fuels determined by the amount of carbon emitted by their combustion.
This is a significant move by Australia toward their goal of reducing their 2000 emissions levels by 5% by 2020. For, while Australia only contributes around a percent and a half of the globes total carbon emissions, their per capita emissions are the highest in the developed world due to the country's heavy reliance on coal for energy. The laws impliment the highest carbon tax outside of Europe and will soon be joined by California in 2013. Perhaps the United States as a whole will realize the importance of following the examples of these other countries as the presidential election roles arund in a year's time.
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