BHP Billiton has welcomed the repeal of the carbon tax, saying Australia's competitiveness suffered under the scheme introduced by the Gillard government.
However, the mining giant on Thursday also acknowledged that a price on carbon would be necessary to address climate change and the "human influence" on global warming.
"BHP Billiton believes that the recently repealed carbon tax did not represent an optimal approach to reducing emissions and had a detrimental impact on Australia's competitiveness," a BHP spokesperson said in a statement provided to AAP.
The Senate on Thursday voted 39 to 32 to repeal the carbon tax which came into effect two years ago, giving Prime Minister Tony Abbott a crucial victory and allowing him to make good on his election promise to abolish the scheme.
BHP said it supported the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC) assessment of climate change science "which has found that warming of the climate is unequivocal, the human influence is clear and physical impacts are unavoidable".
But the world must pursue the twin objectives of limiting climate change to the lower end of the IPCC emission scenarios in line with current international agreements, while also providing access to the affordable energy required to continue the economic growth essential for maintaining living standards and alleviating poverty, the company spokesperson said.
"Our view is that an effective, long-term climate change policy framework should use a portfolio of complementary measures to reduce emissions and build resilience.
"This should include a price on carbon that addresses competitiveness concerns, support for energy efficiency improvements and the development and deployment of low emissions technologies, together with measures to respond to the physical impacts of climate change."
Labor lamented that Australia had become the first country to reverse action on climate change, once described by former prime minister Kevin Rudd as "the greatest moral challenge of our time".
"History will judge Tony Abbott harshly for refusing to believe that action is needed on climate change," Opposition Leader Bill Shorten said on Thursday.
The Greens vowed to lead a campaign to restore "genuine action" on global warming, saying there was no time to despair this "blunder" in the face of climate change.
Share
