Averting runaway climate change requires "nothing short of an energy revolution", according to a Greenpeace report to be launched in Sydney today by Australia Institute founder Clive Hamilton and Greens Senator Christine Milne.
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.
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)
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.