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The Federal Government’s chief climate change advisor, Professor Ross Garnaut, released his 548 page draft report on climate change on Friday July 4. A call for the introduction of an Australian Emissions Trading Scheme no later than 2010 and no compensation for the big polluters under the scheme were two of the recommendations included in the report. Delivered by Professor Garnaut to the National Press Club in Canberra, the report details his recommendations to the Rudd Government for the fight against climate change and the implementation of an Emissions Trading Scheme (ETS). Read full story |
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July saw the release of the Federal Government’s Green Paper on an Australian Emissions Trading Scheme, now called The Carbon Pollution Reduction Scheme. Outlining the Government’s approach to the design of the scheme, Penny Wong the Federal Minister for Climate Change and Water said when releasing the paper, “in this Green Paper, the Government has sought to strike the right balance, on the basis of economically responsible policy in the national interest.” The Green Paper is open to submissions from interested stakeholders until September 10 this year. Read full story |
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Following a lengthy shadow cabinet meeting on the 30th of July, Federal Opposition Leader, Brendan Nelson emerged having agreed to an emissions trading scheme policy not dissimilar to that which the Coalition took into the last election. Prior to the meeting, Nelson had promised to take a harder line on climate change and had not wanted Australia to set an emissions trading start date without further commitment from major emitters such as China, India, Russia and the US. Read full story |
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The Rudd Government’s pre election promise to achieve 20 percent renewable energy production by 2020 is standing firm. This is despite the Productivity Commission and the Government’s climate change advisor, Professor Ross Garnaut saying that with an effective emissions trading scheme there’s no need for the target. Releasing an options paper on the renewable energy target, Climate Change Minister Penny Wong said that it provided support for the Australian Emissions Trading Scheme and that, “it will encourage industry, both as buyers of electricity and also generators, to invest in renewable energy.” Read full story |
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A recent Age/Nielson poll found that the majority of Australians are willing to dig a little deeper when paying for goods and services, if they feel their actions are helping to reduce greenhouse gas emissions. Read full story |
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A McKinsey global survey conducted this year found that 60 percent of global executives view climate change as an important consideration in their companies’ overall strategy. With over 2,000 respondents globally, 27 percent of who were CEOs or other C level executives the survey looked to identify how companies view climate change and the associated business risks and opportunities. Read full story |
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The following is article is written by David Suzuki, the award winning Canadian scientist, environmentalist, broadcaster and co-founder of the David Suzuki Foundation. It is taken from www.davidsuzuki.org, and details his thoughts on climate change and how we should be responding to the findings of current scientific research: “If the majority of the world’s climate scientists are right and we fail to act, we face ecological, social, and economic catastrophe on a scale beyond anything we’ve experienced in modern times." Read full story |
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The Banksia Environmental Foundation Awards, of which the Prime Minister is the patron,were announced last month in Melbourne. The Foundation is an Australian not-for-profit organisation that recognises, promotes and awards individuals and organisations for environmental and sustainability excellence. Read full story |
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A reduction in global carbon emissions of 50 percent by 2050 was an inadequate outcome of July’s G8 summit held in Hokkaido, Toyako Japan, according to critics of the summit leaders’ goals. Critics highlight that climate scientists say bigger cuts, around 80 percent, are needed to effectively address climate change. Disagreement was also evident between the targets put forward by the leaders of the G8 countries and the expectations of developing countries such as China and India, who are calling for bigger cuts in emissions from industrialised nations. Read full story |
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Melbourne Sustainability Drinks Sustainability Youth Forum |
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