The ultimate legacy of the mining industry's resistance to the carbon price might be a much more stringent and heavy-handed regulatory regime, says Australian Conservation Foundation CEO Don Henry.
Former climate change minister Greg Combet today urged institutional investors to take a stand against companies that try to avoid action on climate change.
Policy uncertainty about renewables and carbon is 'shining a great big spotlight on the issue of sovereign risk in this country', says a funds manager with $50 billion in assets under management.
Activist groups fighting Whitehaven's Maules Creek coal mine are targeting an international investor and have urged a society representing environmental consultants to investigate whether a member has breached its code of conduct.
Major investors will play an increasingly active role in ensuring fossil fuel companies manage their emissions, according to Nathan Fabian of the Investor Group on Climate Change.
To make a fair contribution to global efforts, Australia must cut emissions by at least 27%, and it can't achieve cuts of that scale solely through domestic action, according to a report commissioned by WWF.
Global investors with more than $3 trillion under management have asked 45 companies - including BHP Billiton, Rio Tinto, BP and Xstrata - to explain how they are planning for an 80% reduction in fossil fuel emissions by 2050.
The ACF has warned that it may opt for a far more combative approach if the carbon price is removed and business doesn't effectively deal with climate change.