A new report from the Grattan Institute has underlined the failure of current policies to push Australia down the path of a clean energy future Giles Parkinson, editor of RenewEconomy, reports.
Carbon Pollution Reduction Scheme
The carbon tax pitch: call it what it is — a pollution tax
The public cry for clarity regarding the so-called carbon tax, and Labor’s problem with communicating clearly continue to threaten its existence, writes Alex Frankel, a communications researcher and strategist.
Look beyond a carbon price and examine whether your cuts will count
The way in which the CPRS set both a cap above which emissions could not rise and a floor below which emissions could not fall was widely debated, if not widely understood, during 2009 and 2010. But those lessons need to be learnt again, writes Dr Richard Denniss.
Polluting power … Australia in the top 10
Australia’s power sector ranks among the 10 most polluting power sectors on the planet, alongside Botswana, Cambodia and Estonia, writes John Connor, CEO of The Climate Institute.
Clean energy moves ahead amid climate policy carnage
Passage of the enhanced 20% renewable energy target is one hard fought victory for climate change policy amongst the wreckage littering the corridors of parliament house in Canberra, says Rob Grant.
The potential for renewables in regional Oz
Yesterday Australia took one step out of the quagmire of pollution politics, where scare campaigns and excessive claims for assistance from many of the big polluters influenced both the politics and the outcomes, writes John Connor, CEO of The Climate Institute.
Early leadership surprises in pollution, climate change race
As the political parties look to the race up the mountain to the election, the person wearing the yellow jersey for pollution reduction may come as a surprise to some: it’s Tony Abbott, writes John Connor, CEO of The Climate Institute.
No carbon price? You’re being conned
If you can put aside the high and rising costs of failing to commence Australia’s transition from one of the world’s biggest carbon addicts to a low-carbon economy aside, our handling of climate policy has been the stuff of priceless comedy.
Why economists need to engage in the CPRS debate
How should climate change be dealt with by economists? asks Dr Martin Parkinson, secretary of the Department of Climate Change and Energy Efficiency.
Colless: The cost of jobs at any price
Jobs, jobs, jobs: it’s been Rudd’s mantra ever since the GFC hit and it explains the insulation debacle and the BER scheme. Except its an unrealistic and phoney concept, writes Malcolm Colless.
Why it’s great that the ETS got the chop
The most frustrating argument in support of the CPRS was this notion that, even though it was acknowledged as appalling policy, “something is better than nothing”. Sounds nice, but it’s a logical fallacy, writes Tim Hollo.
The smoking gun: Labor always planned to shut the Greens out of the ETS
It was always Kevin Rudd’s political strategy to do a deal on an ETS with the Opposition, and to shut the Greens out of any negotiations. And now there’s proof, says the Greens’ Tim Hollo.
China likely to introduce carbon price before Australia
The Australian policy to not reintroduce CPRS legislation until 2013 leaves the country in danger of being left behind, with China being far more progressive on climate action, writes Peter Wood.
Uhlmann: Meltdown, schmeltdown, Rudd’s a climate wimp
Rudd’s just bowling a nude ball when it comes to his handling of the ETS. What happened to “delay equals denial” and “too much time wasting”? asks Chris Uhlmann.
Climate and environment: not much in the way of policy direction
The climate and environment Budget for 2010-11 is a dull affair marked by program cuts, clean-ups and a marked lack of policy direction, writes Andrew Macintosh.
Rudd’s greatest challenge: surviving his ETS somersault
Rather than selling the ETS to the Australian public, Rudd was busy playing wedge politics with Malcolm Turnbull. Now his decision to dump it will cost him dearly in both electoral and larger political terms, writes Rodney Tiffen.
The climate change bombardment — it pays to co-ordinate your fire
You may have read during the week of a micro-revolt by Labor MPs over the Government’s abandonment of the CPRS. Except there was more to the bombardment by outraged younger voters than met the eye…
Antony Green: The little ETS that couldn’t
Technically, the ETS legislation was a double dissolution trigger. So why didn’t Kevin Rudd pull the trigger? Because only the original ETS — not the amended version — could be used and that wasn’t helpful to anyone, explains Antony Green.
Henderson: Julia is Kevin’s one saving grace
Kevin Rudd is a major disappointment for supporters, from his ETS failure to wimping out on Henry Review recommendations. Only Julia Gillard has achieved reform with her My School initiative, writes Gerard Henderson.
Coorey: Malcolm the martyr
If John Howard was re-elected in 2007, we’d already have an ETS up and running. Instead, Kevin Rudd wimped out and now Malcolm Turnbull remains the only one with any guts in politics, writes Phillip Coorey.
ETS is dead, where to now?
With the ETS being consigned to the dustbins of history, the pressing question climate campaigners are asking themselves is: where do we go now that politics have failed us miserably? Patrick Tombola offers one idea.
Is Rudd going to copy Abbott’s climate policy?
The dumping of the ETS leaves a large gaping wound where the government once had a climate policy. Now Wayne Swan’s suggestions sound distinctly similar to Abbott’s controversial plan, writes Robert Merkel.
Fran Kelly: Political satire is no longer a joke
From Rudd ditching his grand ETS plan to Tony Abbott criticising him for it and the Greens dropping the ball on climate policy, this week in politics could have been an episode of Hollowmen, writes Fran Kelly.
Shanahan: Why the ETS was doomed to fail
Kevin Rudd’s climate policy was never going to work because it was all about show, not effective and practical policy, says Dennis Shanahan. Simplifying climate change into a “moral challenge” just created a series of errors.
