Discussion of the federal budget has featured much doom-mongering. This is exemplified by forecasts of a A$6-8 billion black hole in 2015-16, when the carbon tax switches to an emissions trading scheme…
The Federal Budget has attempted to fill a A$6 billion revenue hole left by the collapse of the EU carbon price - but has cut into renewables as a consequence.
John Goodridge
The decision to link the Australia’s carbon price to the European Union emissions trading scheme has wiped A$6 billion from the federal budget. Treasurer Wayne Swan has dealt with that loss of revenue…
Both sides of politics need to take the carbon tax fight to the election.
Flickr/Leonard John Matthews
If climate change features prominently in the federal election campaign, it will almost certainly be driven by the Coalition. Under Tony Abbott, the Coalition has long smelled blood in the water on climate…
A carbon bank would reduce the risk of the carbon price crumpling.
Niall Glynn
The dramatic fall in Europe’s carbon price in April led to claims emissions trading had failed as a model for addressing climate change. While the low EU price is problematic for the EU and Australia (by…
But that’s exactly what investors are doing, says a new report.
Takver/Flickr
Investors are continuing to pour money into fossil fuel reserves that could end up being worthless due to efforts to combat climate change, a new report has found. The Climate Tracker report found that…
By agreeing to work with China on climate change, the Australian Government has further entrenched the carbon price.
AAP Image/Office of the Prime Minister
A recent agreement between Australia and China to cooperate on climate change could be a tipping point that makes the Coalition’s pledge to repeal the carbon price unachievable. Under the agreement, Australia…
China’s people and politicians are keenly interested in reducing emissions: what can we learn from each other?
EPA/Wu Hong
China’s political commitment and ambition on climate change allow it to take global leadership. Australia is well placed to provide guidance on suitable policy approaches, sharing its experiences with…
The writing may be on the wall for Labor’s carbon policy, but that doesn’t mean the states should give up.
Flickr/bk2204
In a survey last year of 22,812 people across 22 countries (including Australia), the polling organisation GlobeScan found that environmental concerns had fallen worldwide since 2009, and fewer than one…
Despite regulatory uncertainty, business in the US and Australia is responding to climate change.
Flickr/KateAusburn
Despite the widespread scientific consensus regarding anthropogenic climate change, ideological rhetoric dominates the global political discourse. This is preventing the development of clear policy frameworks…
The Australian Government and European Union have laid out the first links between our emissions trading schemes.
Phillipe Put/Flickr
Yesterday the Department of Climate Change and Energy Efficiency released its draft regulations and a consultation paper, setting out the details on linking the EU Emissions Trading System (“EU ETS”) and…
Is Tony Abbott right that the carbon price is ruining Australia?
AAP Image/Alan Porritt
… It became absolutely obvious after the Copenhagen conference that the rest of the world was not going anywhere near carbon taxes or emission trading schemes and that’s why the Coalition is absolutely…
There are some barriers to linking our emissions reduction plan to California’s, but they’re worth overcoming.
Thomas Hawk
As the pace of international climate negotiations has slowed, the interest and attention of international organisations and climate policy watchers has been diverted to national climate change responses…
Australia’s newspapers took a very shallow view of the carbon price.
Beppie K/flickr
The Australian print media have been criticised for inaccurately reporting the carbon pricing mechanism (CPM), and in some instances for actively campaigning against the Gillard government. Research from…
The government’s projections of future emissions don’t seem to account for a reduction in demand for energy.
Cowboy/Dave Flickr
New greenhouse gas emissions projections have been released by Australia’s government. They suggest that only a minority of the task to meet Australia’s emissions target will be achieved through domestic…
Despite the best of intentions, is Australia’s energy outlook truly achievable?
AAP
It is Australian Government policy to achieve an 80% reduction in greenhouse gas emissions by 2050. Despite the good intentions, is the current energy strategy truly “sustainable”? The Gillard Labor Government…
Australians may be cutting back carbon-intensive activities, but until the government is more transparent about emission cuts there’s no way to check.
Adrian Tritschler
Last week we had good news from the Federal Government that the carbon price is already working. Many of us from across the political spectrum have wondered whether the complex new financial arrangements…
If closing brown coal power plants is part of the lowest cost mix of emissions reduction opportunities, then they will close without additional payment from the government.
ccdoh1/Flickr
This week the Australian Government announced that the “payment for closure” element of the Clean Energy Future package would not proceed. The decision has saved taxpayers a multi-billion dollar outlay…
You think you can’t afford it, but do you know what it costs?
AAP Image /Lukas Coch
There is no single answer to the question of where it’s cheapest to cut emissions. But when more than one country shares a common carbon price or tax, the total cost of the climate policy is higher in…
The legal implications of changes to the carbon price mechanism are subtle, but important.
Pawel Loj
Earlier this week the federal Government announced important changes to the carbon pricing mechanism (CPM). The political and economic consequences have been much discussed, but the less-talked-of legal…
Linking Australia’s emissions trading system to Europe’s will mean our carbon price and policy will rely on the European economy, experts say.
AAP
Carbon trading without a floor price is “second best policy” that will see Australian carbon prices tied to the European economy says John Daley, chief executive officer of public policy analysis group…