Browsing: <a href="/tag/environmental-management">Environmental management</a> <i class="grey">•</i> <a href="/tag/interest-group-actions">Interest group actions</a>

An alliance of industry, union and environment organisations launched this morning has urged the Rudd government to set a goal of having the equivalent of three 500MW power stations fitted with CCS by 2020.



As a first step, Australia needs to finalise by this September nationally-consistent legislation and a policy framework to overcome first-mover barriers, the alliance says.

The Rudd government should remove tax breaks for personal use of company cars and abolish the Fuel Tax Credits scheme that gives tax breaks worth more than a billion dollars a year to the mining industry, Australian Conservation Foundation chief Don Henry told the National Press Club today. (plus audio)



Henry also urged the government to remove tax concessions for aviation fuel and push for resource companies to boost their 'miserable' levels of spending on R&D into technologies such as carbon capture and storage.

• Tests finds patchy compliance with energy performance standards
  
• Emissions should peak in 2010, say WWF and IAG
  
• Productivity Commission floats chemicals reforms

The head of the International Energy Agency told last week's major economies meeting in Hawaii a "CO2 incentive" of US$200 a tonne would be needed to deliver a 50% cut in emissions by 2050, the IEA revealed yesterday.



Meanwhile, the head of Australia's mining union, Tony Maher, has canvassed the creation of a new climate change pressure group and has urged resource companies to massively boost their spending on carbon capture and storage.

WWF Australia chief Greg Bourne says a range of laws – not just the federal EPBC Act – must be changed so large greenhouse gas emitters undergo regulatory scrutiny. Plus ACF calls for tax subsidy phase-outs, BCA cautions on meshing renewables and trading schemes, EBA calls for 'war council' approach. (with audio)

Office and residential property developer Investa is backing a call by the Australian Conservation Foundation for all political parties to support a national 'feed-in' tariff to make solar PV systems more economically viable. (plus audio)

An alliance of major environment groups is warning businesses wanting to use their electricity purchases to drive new investment in renewable energy generation that some energy retailers are providing "seriously misleading" descriptions of their green electricity products.

Energy efficiency has been heralded as offering a huge, cheap and easy slab of greenhouse gas abatement. Yet few organisations bothered to comment on Australia's proposed 'stage 2' energy efficiency measures, and many of those that did are unimpressed.

Australia could reduce its 2020 emissions to more than 30% below 1990 levels without resorting to carbon capture and storage or nuclear power, but only if it employs “potentially controversial” measures such as slashing beef consumption and requiring aluminium smelters to offset their emissions.