A survey of executives in high-emitting industries such as mining and electricity generation suggests they are not engaging with the government’s flagship policy to cut greenhouse emissions.
Less than a year after the Paris negotiations, the process is gathering pace.
AAP Image/NewZulu/Jonathan Raa
Just 11 months after the Paris climate talks, the resulting treaty has come into force. The rapid ratification looks set to heap even more pressure on Australia to come up with a credible climate policy.
Plants absorb carbon and store it in the land.
Blue mountains image from www.shutterstock.com
Malcolm Turnbull returns to the helm with a wafer-thin majority and a significant element in his government who still oppose climate action - can he defy the odds and serve up some credible policy?
After days of waiting, Malcolm Turnbull will form a government.
AAP/Lukas Coch
Australia’s greenhouse emissions are once again rising, after a decade of consistent declines. But the right policies are already in place to turn things around - they just need to be ramped up.
Plugging in: more energy efficient cars are just one of the ways to improve energy productivity.
Electric car image from www.shutterstock.com
Australia needs to “reset” discussions related to climate policy, according to the government’s advisory body on climate policy.
Australia will struggle to make real emissions reductions without making structural change away from coal in the energy sector.
Daniel L Smith / Shutterstock.com
The latest emissions auction closes the gap to Australia’s climate target, but still leaves work to be done.
In 2010 Malcolm Turnbull threatened to cross the floor to vote for emissions trading. Polls suggest the public would back him now, even if his party won’t.
AAP Image/Alan Porritt
In backing Abbott’s existing climate policy, Malcolm Turnbull looks like appeasing his party. But his prospects would be better served by appealing to voters who are anxious for strong climate action.
Abbott isn’t the first leader to be toppled amid questions over his approach to climate change.
AAP Mick Tsikas
From Hawke-Keating to Rudd-Gillard, climate policy has an uncanny ability to cost Australian political leaders their jobs. And it was a key element in the rivalry between Tony Abbott and Malcolm Turnbull.
Environment Minister Greg Hunt, Prime Minister Tony Abbott and Foreign Minister Julie Bishop at the announcement of Australia’s 2030 climate target.
AAP Image/Mick Tsikas
The term ‘carbon tax’ is a political poison in Australia, thanks to the previous carbon tax which was actually an emissions trading scheme. Yet ironically, many economists prefer a tax over an ETS anyway.
Avoiding logging in native forests could earn Australia millions of extra carbon credits.
David Blair
The Renewable Energy Target now includes wood waste from forestry. But a more sustainable use of Australia’s native forests would be to leave them alone and earn carbon credits from the avoided emissions.
Switching to solar power can deliver over 100 million tonnes of emissions reductions by 2030.*
David Goehring/Flickr