More than one in three Australian adults believe the environment was the most important issue to be discussed at the 2020 Summit in Canberra, according to a recent ANU survey. Over 1300 of the 10,000 submissions received by the summit steering committee reflected issues to be addressed by the sustainability stream, and in his closing address Prime Minister Rudd described climate change as the overarching national challenge.
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The Victorian Climate Change Summit was held on the 4th of April at Parliament House in Melbourne, with more than 100 attendees representing views from Victorian business, industry, farming and the regions. The Summit signals the beginning of a process to develop a ‘Green Paper on Climate Change’ within the next six months. ‘A Climate of Opportunity’, the paper published in the lead up to the Summit, details current Victorian climate change action and policy. Read full story

Under the National Greenhouse and Reporting Act 2007, Australian corporations will be required to report their greenhouse gas emissions and energy consumption and production after July 1 this year. The National Greenhouse and Energy Reporting System (NGERS) will be the single consistent framework supporting implementation of the act. Read full story

To discourage the production and purchase of fuel-inefficient vehicles, the United States have a gas-guzzler
tax on many large luxury cars. To help mitigate the effects of climate change, The European Union recently adopted a proposal to limit CO2 emissions from cars, and Holland currently impose a tax on large in-efficient vehicle sales, hitting some buyers with an extra AU$15,000. Australia could be the only major developed country that does not have a tax on the purchase of large cars. Read full story

Demand for energy and sustainability audits are continuing to grow, with more companies realising the payback benefits. If the company you work for or run is yet to carry out or even contemplate an energy audit, it could be just a matter of time.
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Amidst changing climate change legislation, Professor Ross Garnaut, the Federal Government’s chief climate change advisor, doubts whether the $1 billion in compensation demanded by power producers, would be used to reduce the financial burden felt by households. He suggests that support should instead be given to struggling coal communities like those in the Latrobe Valley.
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