Key Tests for Emissions Trading
Thursday, 06 March 2008 21:40
Jeff Angel, Executive Director, of Total Environment Centre said: “This is the beginning of a year long campaign to get an effective, efficient and equitable scheme to achieve significant reductions in greenhouse gas emissions. The scale of threat from global warming requires an ambitious response from the economy that is linked to strong 2020 and 2050 targets. We’ll be opposing free permits generally; and get out of jail cards for coal power plants - which will simply nullify the purpose of a scheme.”
Ben Pearson Energy Campaigner, Greenpeace Australia said: “An environmentally credible emissions trading scheme can be an important tool in reducing Australia’s greenhouse has emissions. However, we must also recognise that a broad range of complementary measures will be needed, if we are to reduce Australia’s emissions by the amount necessary to avoid dangerous climate change.”
Julie Anne Richards, of Climate Action Network Australia, representing over 50 NGOs said: “Australia needs to be a leader and do its fair share to keep the climate safe. A good Australian scheme will feed into a strong global agreement which, as Professor Garnaut pointed out, is vitally important for Australia. It’s important that any emissions trading scheme ensures we reduce emissions in a fair manner, in particular with regard to low income people."
The key tests (attached) include:
- targets
- permit allocation rules
- adjustment measures for trade-exposed energy-intensive industries
- coverage of the economy
- penalties and safety valves
- international links and offsets
- governance
