Australia is witnessing a boom in socially responsible investing (SRI), with a recent survey by the Australian Institute of Superannuation Trustees showing a 75% increase in trustee recognition of SRI as a separate asset class, and a growth of 56% between 2005 and 2006 in managed SRI portfolios. In fact, SRI managed portfolios grew 70% percent from $4.5 to $7.67 billion, during the 2005 financial year alone and in the 2006 financial year they continued to grow to $11.98 billion. Mainstream managed funds only grew 15.5% during this time. Read full story

“The introduction of emissions trading will constitute the most significant economic and structural reform undertaken in Australia since the trade liberalisation of the 1980s,” said Federal Minister for Climate Change Penny Wong, in a statement released earlier this year. The Rudd Government’s 2010 deadline for the introduction of an emissions trading scheme is fast approaching. Read full story

An international research report conducted by Havas Media (Havas is the world’s 6th ranked communication consulting group represented in 75 countries) found that consumers are demanding companies take on the fight against climate change, in the face of government inaction, or lack of action. In two-thirds of the markets included in the study, consumers felt more strongly that companies and their brands should be the ones to look for climate change solutions rather than governments. Read full story

According to recent CSIRO research, the duration of severe droughts could double or even triple by 2050 in some parts of Australia as a result of climate change. Combined with greenhouse gas emissions that are forecast to almost double by 2030, Climate Institute chief John Connor says that "Australians will pay the price of government inaction on climate change, with higher water and food costs over the coming years.” Read full story

With unemployment figures near a 30 year low, employees are in a strong position to be picky about whom they work for and amidst this tight labour market, organisations that demonstrate a commitment to sustainability are fast becoming the employers of choice. The  2007 ‘Feed Your Mind,’ report published by Seek, found that 69% of job seeking respondents in their employee satisfaction and motivation survey labelled corporate responsibility as an important factor when deciding which company they wanted to work for. In addition 15% said they would only work for a company that had a CSR program. Read full story

Rapidly increasing food prices are impacting the world’s poorest people. The standard of living for many people in developing countries has been halved as the cost of rice, the staple diet of so many, has doubled within a year. Between 2005 and 2007 the cost of corn rose 21%, rice 74%, Soya 87% and wheat 130%. Read full story

Despite widespread support, a ban on construction of new coal fired power plants before carbon capture and storage (CCS) technology proves commercially viable did not make the list of recommendations to come out of the weekend’s 2020 summit. However many industry, union and environmental groups are pushing for extensive research and trialling of this technology as an option to mitigate Australia’s greenhouse gas emissions in the future. Read full story

The release of the Rudd Government’s first budget saw a commitment to invest $500 million over a seven year period, to support the commercial availability and development of clean coal technologies. Research programs, demonstration projects and infrastructure and carbon dioxide storage sites needed to accelerate the development and implementation of these technologies will be supported by the funding. Read full story

A global survey conducted by the National Geographic Society has revealed that although Australians believe climate change to be the biggest problem facing our nation, we are less than willing to do much about it. A comparison of individuals’ behaviours in four key areas  -housing, transportation, food and consumer goods-, the survey, called Greendex found that consumers in the developing world exhibit far more environmentally sustainable lifestyles than those in industrialised nations. Read full story

Carbon Innovators Network: Innovative approaches to reducing city emissions
24 June 2008
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Melbourne Sustainability Drinks
2 July 2008
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