While Brendan Nelson tried to apply the brakes on a move to an emissions trading scheme, Mr Turnbull appeared on ABC television suggesting that the coalition's policy on an ETS was unchanged from last year.

That policy was to have an emissions trading scheme up and running by 2012, a policy that is not too far removed from the plan proposed by the Federal Labor Government.

So while the coalition has, or at least had, every intention of introducing an ETS, now it appears confused about its own policy.

Dr Nelson is clearly hoping to surf the wave of anxiety that is gathering momentum ahead of an ETS, in much the same way he managed to gain some political traction in the so far meaningless debate about petrol pricing.

As someone who spent some time as environment minister in the former Howard Government, Mr Turnbull appears to have a different appreciation of climate change in comparison to Dr Nelson.

While Mr Turnbull acknowledges the science on climate change, Dr Nelson, speaking on Sydney radio yesterday, suggested that many of those involved in lobbying for action on climate change and an ETS were doing so with a religious zeal.

They were, he said, trying to frighten people with depictions of an apocalyptic future.

But if the coalition views the spectre of climate change as sufficiently threatening to warrant the introduction of an ETS in 2012, surely it would see merit in the Labor Party wanting to introduce a scheme two years earlier?

The coalition timetable would simply delay the pain of an ETS.

There is an element of hypocrisy in Dr Nelson's criticism that climate change believers are trying to frighten people into action to reduce greenhouse gas emissions.

He is attempting to tap into and build on the fear people are feeling at the prospect of an economic apocalypse - rather than an environmental one.

It was negative politics that did not do his party any favours at the last election.