The Killing of GreenPower?
Wednesday, 18 November 2009 11:15
Today’s revelation that Australians are the largest greenhouse gas polluters per person on the planet, proves that the federal government must rethink those climate policies which currently threaten to kill off the GreenPower industry, Total Environment Centre (TEC) said this morning.
“Consumers will lose the incentive to pay extra to reduce their own emissions under the impending Carbon Pollution Reduction Scheme (CPRS)” said Jeff Angel, director of TEC, “because the Scheme does not recognise their contribution as additional to the nation’s pollution reduction effort.”
Total Environment Centre released a report today which reveals that there are almost one million GreenPower customers spending $80m a year, whose future GreenPower purchases will not result in any reduction in emissions, if the CPRS is passed as it currently stands. This will result in many GreenPower customers cancelling their purchases.
“Australians want to play their part, and hundreds of thousands of Australians are already buying GreenPower to reduce their own emissions,” said Mr Angel. “Millions of dollars spent on reducing emissions will go to waste if the government doesn’t fix this mess.”
“The CPRS will blunt the growth in GreenPower, hurting the renewable energy industry and disempowering Australian businesses and consumers,” said Mr Angel.
“Kevin Rudd and Penny Wong need to act now to ensure the CPRS doesn’t cause serious damage to this program.”
