Fears of carbon leakage seem 'overplayed', says today's Treasury modelling. But it will cost Australia more to cut greenhouse gas emissions than nations such as the U.S., the European Union and Japan and the nation's aluminium and petroleum refining sectors will become less competitive. Plus comments from AIGN and ACF.
Treasury modelling released today shows Australia can use market-based mechanisms to combat climate change and 'grow the economy and increase jobs', according to Climate Change Minister Penny Wong.
The Government can improve its climate policies by working with the Greens but seems to favour working with the Coalition to 'brown them down', Greens Senator Christine Milne told the Sydney Institute last night. Meanwhile, Milne tells CE Daily about her involvement in international plans for a World Green Carbon Commission.
Companies only have until the end of the week to comment on possible changes to the way they can report emissions and energy data using the Rudd Government's OSCAR online reporting system.
Helping communities, regions and workers should take priority over giving cash or free permits to coal-fired generators, says Western Australia's green paper submission. WA also warns that industries generating about 85% of the total value of the state's top ten exports would miss out on free permits under green paper proposals for compensating big emitters.
Coal-fired generators need free permits equivalent to 'as few as 10 to 15% of the total emissions permit pool', according to the National Generators Forum. Meanwhile, Greenpeace has issued a musical anti-coal video to pressure the Rudd Government not to give money or free permits to fossil fuel-fired power stations.
In the last batch of green paper submissions to surface publicly, BP says it doesn't favour a permit price cap and warns it would be 'folly' to rely solely on emissions trading to transform the power sector.
Northern Territory environmental impact assessment guidelines say Inpex must demonstrate "best practice" in controlling greenhouse gas emissions from its proposed LNG plant on Blaydin Point in Darwin – but what does that mean?
