Group items tagged

"The Coalition will impose new noise monitoring rules on windfarms that the multibillion dollar industry says will inflict crippling costs, provide no useful information and represent another victory for an anti-noise campaign by concerned citizens backed in part by the climate sceptic lobby."

"Australia's two major parties have promised to reduce the country's emissions by 5% by 2020, with two different approaches. Labor has used carbon farming as part of its approach; the Coalition is making it a centrepiece. But analysis of Labor's approach shows it is likely to fail, whoever pursues it."

"Tony Abbott is facing growing discontent among his colleagues about his $3.2 billion Direct Action plan to combat climate change, a policy once described by Malcolm Turnbull as rubbish. Liberal MPs Mal Washer and Dennis Jensen say the Coalition should review or consider abandoning parts of the policy in the light of ''dire economic circumstances''."

"While the Coalition didn't release a 2013 election policy document explaining how they'd reduce emissions, they did release a document outlining how they'd axe the tax. The document is entitled The Coalition's Policy to Deliver Lower Prices by Scrapping the Carbon Tax. Within it is an excellent idea well worth supporting, in that it will highlight just how 'brilliant' the Abbott government's cost of living 'relief' will be when it axes the carbon tax. "

"The old-fashioned approach to recycling in which consumers pay a redeemable deposit on drink containers is popular among all kinds of people, from Greenpeace members to traditional Coalition voters. But this nostalgia-fuelled enthusiasm isn't a good reason to suspend sound judgement. The truth is container deposit schemes are outdated and ineffective, and it's time we consigned the idea to history's dustbin."

"The Opposition has clearly stated its intention to remove the Clean Energy Finance Corporation if it takes government at the next election. Will the Coalition introduce another mechanism to take its place? How will an Abbott Government make sure Australia brings to market the diverse range of renewable technologies we need to transform our energy sector?"

"Can "direct action" cut Australia's carbon emissions for the price Tony Abbott says it can? Climate change minister Mark Butler says not. Last week he welcomed "new independent modelling", which he said showed the Coalition's policy would "cost billions of dollars more than Tony Abbott claims and has no chance of meeting Australia's emissions reduction target"."

"The Future Economy Group, a new coalition of businesses and environmental leaders, has joined forces to research and advocate the importance of innovation and natural capital to Victoria's economy. We sponsored detailed research that shows that nature and economy are inextricably linked and quantifies the impact on the Victorian economy and jobs if our environment continues to decline. It shows that we can grow the economy and jobs by modernising Victoria's economy into one that is built on innovation and values nature. Based on this research, the Group then developed the Future Economy Plan, a roadmap to modernise Victoria's economy. It provides a series of powerful ideas for change, and urges the government of Victoria to take action now to convert the state economy from 'business-as-usual' to one that can meet the challenges of the 21st-century."

"Tristan Edis - With both the Coalition and Labor repeatedly making unconditional commitments to reduce Australia's emissions by at least 5 per cent below 2000 levels by 2020, the question is not whether or not we should reduce greenhouse gas emissions, but rather how we reduce them."

"DIRECT ACTION is often perceived as an exercise in keeping up appearances: a fig-leaf policy from a government that has expressed little enthusiasm for serious action on climate change. But with the possible neutering of the Renewable Energy Target, Direct Action subsidies are set to be the main pillar of Australia's climate change mitigation effort as well as a new drain on our scarce fiscal resources."