Browsing: NGO campaigns

Australia should begin emissions trading with a carbon price of about $45 a tonne and should aim to reduce emissions to at least 30% below 1990 levels by 2020, says the Australian Conservation Foundation's response to the Rudd Government's emissions trading green paper.

• WWF attacks BCA report
  
• Government canvasses 7 star minimum for gas water heaters
  
• Clark wins Greens support for NZ trading bill
  
• EPA Victoria to promote energy-efficient glass
  
• Defence to establish environment panel

Australia risks pushing low-emissions industries to grow at unsustainably high rates if it fails to jettison its industry-neutral, least-cost approach to industry development, says a new WWF report.

The Coalition should stop 'bleating and moaning' about not having the economic modelling on emissions trading because they had 10 years to get it done while in office, WWF chief Greg Bourne tells CE Daily.



Bourne also warns the Greens that seeking to impose their idea of a perfect scheme could jeopardise efforts to put something in place quickly.

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 Australian Conservation Foundation tells the Wilkins review the Mandatory Renewable Energy Target scheme is an essential policy measure, while the Business Council of Australia suggests more precise targeting.

• WA issues compliance reporting guidelines
  
  
  
• Australia's black coal-fired plants emit more CO2 than EU and US plants
  
  
  
• CCS too slow, risky and pricey: Greenpeace
  
  
  
• 'Contraction and convergence criticisms flawed'
  
  
  
• Six steps to avoiding greenwash
  
  
  
• Greens parties to establish international base in Australia

A transport forum with members including NRMA, the NSW Roads and Traffic Authority, VicRoads, toll road company Transurban and car rental businesses yesterday combined with the Australian Conservation Foundation to send an open letter to Treasurer Wayne Swan urging him to abolish tax breaks for salary-packaged cars.

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.