Browsing: Adaptation, science

• Climate department official: we know reporting scheme will be tough for new players
  
  
  
• The overshoot scenario: ‘are you feeling lucky, punk?’
  
  
  
• Wong: don’t overlook the costs of inaction

Between them, they have advised former NSW Premier Bob Carr, former Prime Minister Paul Keating, former UK Prime Minister Tony Blair and the Reagan, Clinton, George Bush and George W Bush administrations. And they joined forces for a panel session at a planning and climate change conference that wraps up in Sydney today.



Nick Rowley of Kinesis said emissions trading should be treated as an adjunct to legislative and planning responses, not the other way around. Professor Stephen Schneider criticised car companies for saying tougher standards put their industry at risk, when they have 'stonewalled' for decades against efforts to get them to make small improvements.



And Sam Mostyn of insurer IAG described why she will be stressing the importance of short-term thinking at this weekend's 2020 summit in Canberra.

• Rudd flags soil carbon push
  
• Sustainable buildings council briefs Garrett and Garnaut on 'white certificates' trading proposal
  
• Queensland EPA charges company directors over PCBs
  
• South Australia to ban plastic bags by year's end

Treasury tells Rudd to put Australia 'on a clean energy footing' * Wong says we will set an interim target, as UN climate change chief urges major emitters to deploy climate change 'Marshall plan' * Victoria's Hazelwood power plant a cleaner fossil fuels case study as global energy agency suggests replacing or upgrading more than a third of the world's coal-fired capacity



* NSW environment group weighs in against NSW power industry privatisation * Program offers industry a 'low-risk' chance to test sustainability, Garrett says * 6-star green building flurry continues * Wood waste power plant proposed for WA

Five Australian companies feature in global 'top 100' sustainability listing * TV sector warned of 'strong political will' to act on energy efficiency * ACTU chief to speak at Davos sustainability forum * Tasmania to draft contamination audit regulations * Environment chiefs to Garnaut – don't give us the third degree



* Australian Industry Group urges fund for water projects * SA Cabinet looks to Greenhouse Friendly scheme in carbon neutral push * ANU professor sets out health challenges of environmental degradation * Victoria seeks advisory council nominees * Ecolabel scheme proposes new draft standard

The Garnaut climate change review has warned of "potentially large costs" if governments are called on to help uninsured or under-insured householders recover from climate change-related damage.



In a new issues paper on the role of the finance sector in carbon markets and managing climate risk, the review also raises the prospect of allowing trading scheme participants to 'borrow' future emission allowances in order to meet current obligations.



Meanwhile, a Productivity Commission staff research paper says some criticisms of the Stern review are justified.

Goward: it's very easy to fix climate change * Deadline looms for EEO filings by large energy users * Climate change to push up food prices, says ACF study * SA EPA launches video info clips * Chemical agencies investigate multiple chemical sensitivity * 'BadBuster' pop-up rates companies as you click to their site

The head of the UN has called for 'sweeping, concerted action now', as the head of the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change warns even if greenhouse gas emissions peaked by 2015, temperatures would increase by up to 2.4°C and sea levels would eventually rise up to 1.4 metres – without factoring in melting ice. (plus extracts, audio)

Speakers at today's Rudd-backed Garnaut Review forum have warned that the rate of climate change appears to be at the high end of projections or could even have been under-estimated, while widely-accepted projections of emissions growth could be unrealistically low.

Court orders Abigroup to pay $20,000 to NSW department * WWF sets out 2008 agenda * OneSteel set to sub-licence waste plastic technology * Major carbon capture cost reductions on the horizon * Melbourne Water sets out drought impacts and climate risks