The Australian Parliament has voted down its emissions trading scheme (ETS) for the second time, reports the Australian Broadcasting Corp. (ABC) News. If it had passed, Australia would have become one of the first countries to implement a comprehensive cap-and-trade scheme.
The Parliament voted down the carbon-trading proposal for the first time in August citing two primary reasons: it was not tough enough and it was not wise to make a commitment before the Copenhagen climate talks.
The second defeat by the Senate gives Prime Minister Kevin Rudd an early "double-dissolution" election trigger over climate change, reports The Australian.
It's unclear if and when the Prime Minister Rudd would call for an early election to break the deadlock, but he said he would to re-introduce the legislation into parliament again in February, reports Reuters.
Analysts told Reuters that Rudd may seek an election as early as March to push through the ETS though the next general election is not due until late 2010.
One Senator voted against the carbon trading scheme because Australians had started to question climate change science, while supporters of the carbon scheme accused the Coalition of being led by climate-change skeptics and trying to scare voters, reports ABC News.
