Global warming - government subsidies, action, taxation, policy
31 August, 2009 Future government policy, distortion of national energy markets with regulations, tax reliefs and direct subsidies.

Unrealistic proposals
Climate change policy: it seems the stronger the feelings, the higher the targets demanded but the more unrealistic the proposals.Environment - Martin Nicholson - posted 27/8/2009

Why emission trading schemes are not the answer: a left critique
Using market forces or the profit motive to reduce carbon emissions won't work.Environment - Ken McKay - posted 27/8/2009

Tracking to Kyoto and 2020 interim report released
Update on emissions-intensive trade-exposed assistance program
Councils must act now on developing climate change policies
World Heritage properties at increased risk from climate change
Funding priorities announced for Pacific climate change adaptation

APO Research

Hardening Australia: Climate change and national disaster resilience
Athol Yates, Anthony Bergin Australian Strategic Policy Institute11 August, 2009 This report warns that as a result of climate change, disasters are likely to become larger, more complex, occur simultaneously and in regions that have either not experienced the natural hazard previously or at the same intensity or frequency.

The economic impact of the CPRS and modifications to the CPRS
Frontier Economics11 August, 2009 This report commissioned by the coalition and Senator Xenophon examines the opportunities to improve the CPRS in terms of lowering the economic costs and, consequently, potentially tightening the emissions target.

Zero-sum game? The human dimensions of emissions trading
Josh Fear, Richard Denniss The Australia Institute17 August, 2009 The Rudd Government is at odds with a majority of Australians in prioritising the needs of business in its climate-change policy, according to this paper by The Australia Institute.

A new climate strategy beyond 2012: lessons from monetary history
Warwick McKibbin Lowy Institute for International Policy12 August, 2009 Warwick McKibbin outlines the key features that are needed in a new climate change framework beyond Kyoto, drawing on lessons from monetary history.

CLIMATE CHANGE Ducking the challenge
Is Kevin Rudd a supporter or a critic of neo-liberal policymaking? On the evidence of his approach to climate change, it's hard to know, writes Brian Toohey

Australian Government Media Releases

Policy and politics with climate change
Penny Wong - Minister for Climate Change and Water - Speech - 03-08-2009

Climate change danger for heritage icons
Peter Garrett - Minister for Environment, Heritage and The Arts Penny Wong - Minister for Climate Change and Water - Media Statement - 03-08-2009

Climate Neutral Cities - seminar to be held on 23 September 2009
http://www.unece.org//press/pr2009/09env_p18e.htm
What do the Empire State Building and the Oxford Eco-House have in common? What similar policies to reduce greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions are being implemented in Frankfurt and Lausanne? How are private sector companies contributing to making buildings more energy efficient? How does a "passive house" work? These and other questions will be answered during a seminar on "Climate Neutral Cities" to be organized at the Palais des Nations, Geneva, on 23 September 2009 in order to focus on how urban planning and building can contribute to reducing GHG and enhance the overall sustainability of a city.[Wedneday, 21 July 2009]

Countdown to climate change vote begins
http://www.climatechange.gov.au/minister/combet/media/mr15072009.html
SNIPPET: Department of Climate Change. Today starts Australia's countdown to the vote on climate change. The simple fact is the Coalition does not have a clear position on climate change and they are preventing the Government from taking action.'.

Environment and water to Hong Kong
http://www.austrade.gov.au/default.aspx?ArticleID=3847
Hong Kong Business Environment Council. Hong Kong SAR Government.

World's best environmental practice for new mine - media release 14 July 2009
Environment, Water, Heritage and the Arts http://www.environment.gov.au/minister/garrett/2009/mr20090714b.html
Highlighting the Australian Government's commitment to world best practice environmental standards, a uranium mine in South Australia has been approved subject to strict approval conditions which will ensure no credible risk to the environment. The Government is committed to world best practice environmental standards in uranium mining and in protecting the environment for the benefit of future generations, Minister Garrett said.

New policy statement for wind farm industry - media release 14 July 2009
Environment, Water, Heritage and the Arts
http://www.environment.gov.au/minister/garrett/2009/mr20090714a.html
Mr Garrett said the Wind Farm Industry Policy Statement will help wind farm operators decide whether to refer wind farm proposals for assessment and approval under national environment law. This policy statement is the first of two key documents that will help assess wind farm developments through improved guidance and consistent advice.

Green Precincts funding for high-profile Victorian projects - media release 14 July 2009
http://www.environment.gov.au/minister/garrett/2009/mr20090714.html
Two Victorian Green Precincts projects demonstrating innovative water and energy-saving initiatives will share in more than $2.5 million in Rudd Government funding through the Green Precincts program. The Doncaster Hill Green Civic Precinct and CERES Zero Emissions by 2012 projects are funded from the Rudd Government's Green Precincts Fund , an initiative to prepare Australia for a future with less water and to encourage local communities to better manage their water and energy use.

A Slow Thaw in Climate Talks: G8 and MEF Outcomes
Climate change topped the agenda when heads of states met in Italy this week. There were no fireworks, but some important progress was made.

With less than six months left before global climate change talks culminate in Copenhagen, Denmark, in December 2009, the G8 and MEF summits represented important milestones to catalyze international cooperation. The world’s richest countries and the 16 major economies responsible for 80% of greenhouse gas emissions (including China and India), participated in the summits.

The main outcomes are summarized below, along with an analysis of key issues still to be resolved in order to achieve success in Copenhagen.

While the G8 has addressed climate change in past years, its statements on the subject have remained general and demonstrated limited ambition. This year’s statement therefore represented significant progress, with members:

1. Endorsing a global emissions reduction goal of 50% by 2050.
2. Supporting, for the first time, a specific emissions reduction goal for the developed countries most responsible for climate change. The target agreed was a reduction "in aggregate, by 80% or more by 2050, compared to 1990 or more recent years." Left open was which baseline year individual countries will adhere to (and therefore how sharp their emission reductions will need to be).
3. Embracing, for the first time, a limit on committing to limit global temperature rise to 2 degrees Celsius above pre-industrial levels - the ceiling scientists believe is necessary to avoid catastrophic climate change impacts.

Comment sought on waste policy
Peter Garrett - Minister for Environment, Heritage and The Arts - Media Statement - 08-07-2009

Harsh Words for ‘Deniers’ from Nobel Laureate
"YET the deniers are choosing, willfully, to ignore that threat, placing future generations of Americans in gra [...]

'On again, off again' solar policy
It's hard to reconcile the government’s mismanagement of solar energy 'policy' with statements made before the election.Domestic Politics - Bill Parker - posted 1/7/2009

Forests - the essential climate fix
Native forests must be preserved: they play a critical role in securing a safe climate future.Feature - Amelia Young and Lucy Manne - posted 1/7/2009

Climate change and development: Adjusting the lens
Weak governance of the environment and natural resources is undermining development in many countries. This was one of the major conclusions reached by high-level policy makers at a meeting organised to look at development through the lens of climate change adaptation. Read more…

OECD Research

The economics of climate change mitigation: how to build the necessary global action in a cost-effective manner
Jean-Marc Burniaux OECD Economics Department 16 June, 2009 This paper examines the cost of a range of national, regional and global mitigation policies and the corresponding incentives for countries to participate in ambitious international mitigation actions.

Sustainable manufacturing and eco-innovation: towards a green economy
OECD Directorate for Science, Technology and Industry 16 June, 2009 This Policy Brief examines how innovation can result in new technological and systemic solutions to environmental challenges and contributes to a wider range of OECD work aimed at analysing the policies that can efficiently support the development and diffusion of eco-innovation.

APO Research Reports

Plan B: an agenda for immediate climate action
Greenpeace Australia 11 June, 2009 The federal government's Carbon Pollution Reduction Scheme needs to go back the the drawing board according to a coalition of green groups. In the meantime, here's a plan for implementing immediate solutions that will reduce emissions and create jobs.

Designing climate mitigation policy
Resources for the Future05 June, 2009 This US paper provides an exhaustive review of critical issues in the design of climate mitigation policy by pulling together key findings and controversies from diverse literatures on mitigation costs, damage valuation, policy instrument choice, technological innovation, and international climate policy.

Water use on Australian farms, 2007-08
Australian Bureau of Statistics ABS11 June, 2009 This publication presents estimates of agricultural water use, including pastures and crops irrigated. Estimates are presented for Australia, state/territories and Natural Resource Management (NRM) regions, as well as for the Murray-Darling Basin.

Climate 2030: A national blueprint for a clean energy economy
Union of Concerned Scientists05 June, 2009 Reducing oil dependence. Strengthening energy security. Creating jobs. Tackling global warming. Addressing air pollution. Improving our health. The United States has many reasons to make the transition to a clean energy economy.

Good politics, pointless policy
The Rudd Government seems to be concerned with symbolism over substance on the issue of tackling climate change.Feature - Richard Denniss - posted 3/6/2009

Ensuring Environmental Compliance
Trends and Good Practices

Despite progress in recent years, there is growing evidence that OECD countries are not on track to reach some of their key environmental goals. This report examines the strategies and instruments that governments use to ensure compliance with pollution prevention and control regulations, particularly in the industrial sector. It compares the compliance assurance systems of six OECD countries – Finland, France, Japan, the Netherlands, the United Kingdom and the United States – as well as those of China and Russia. The report provides policy makers, environmental regulators, and other stakeholders with a comprehensive analysis of the design, management aspects, and the main elements of government compliance and enforcement programmes. Focusing on compliance promotion, compliance monitoring, and non-compliance response, it identifies and compares good practices, sets them in context of different countries’ regulatory cultures and highlights the key international trends.

The black fingerprints of the greenhouse mafia ...
Twenty lost years in climate policy is a crime against humanity.
Feature - Anne O'Brien - posted 2/6/2009

Can we reverse global climate change? Part II
The decisions that determine the world’s fate will take place in Beijing, New Delhi and Jakarta - not Washington, New York or Europe.
Feature - Chandran Nair - posted 2/6/2009

Summary of S. 1013: Department of Energy Carbon Capture and Sequestration Program Amendments Act of 2009

1013 authorizes the Department of Energy to conduct a program to demonstrate ten commercial-scale integrated geologic storage projects, and provides a framework for selection criteria for these demonstrations. Importantly, the bill addresses the long term-stewardship challenges associated with demonstration, including both long-term monitoring requirements and liability protection.Overview of BillAuthorizes the Department of Energy to conduct up to 10 commercial scale demonstrations of geological storage. The bill states that such demonstrations should inject over 1 million tons of carbon dioxide each year from an industrial source for a period of 10 years. These demonstrations would be selected competitively and awarded as cooperative agreements by DOE. Requires sufficient geologic information to prove that the storage will be safe and permanent. The bill specifies that project selection be based on geological site information, including characteristics of the storage reservoir, identification of potential leakage pathways and a plan for measurement, monitoring and verification during and after injection. The bill also requires that, prior to selection, project operators demonstrate their ability to obtain necessary environmental permits. Provides liability protection and Federal indemnity for these demonstration projects. The bill authorizes the Secretary of Energy to indemnify projects for personal, property and environmental damages that might be above what is covered by insurance or other financial assurance measures; with the exception of liability that is caused by gross negligence or intentional misconduct. Upon receiving the closure certificate, the site may be turned over to the Federal government for long-term site management and ownership. Addresses need for proving legal rights property rights. The bill requires proof of possessing land or land interests for injection, storage, monitoring and closure prior to project selection. Requires compliance with existing relevant laws for environmental protection. The bill requires compliance with applicable existing regulations for well construction and operation. Ensures that operators maintain financial assurances. The bill requires that project operators maintain financial assurances after injection until the Secretary of Energy issues a certificate of closure. Requires the operator to remediate any leaks. The bill requires remediation of any carbon dioxide leaks that might pose danger to human health or natural resources. Outlines criteria for site closure certification. The bill provides details on requirements for long-term monitoring, including monitoring for at least 10 years after operations cease and the injected carbon dioxide stabilizes. Proof of certification includes demonstration of four criteria: 1. location and extent of the project footprint (injected and displaced fluid) 2. no leakage of injected or displaced fluid that would endanger public health, drinking water or natural resources 3. the injected or displaced fluids are not expected to migrate in the future in a manner that would encounter a leakage pathway 4. the injection wells at the site are plugged and abandoned in accordance with applicable lawsIncludes provisions for siting the demonstrations on public land. The bill authorizes the siting of a demonstration on public land, with the potential transfer of property rights, jurisdiction, and responsibility for long-term monitoring to another Federal Agency (such as the Department of Energy). Establishes a training program for state regulators. The bill establishes and authorizes funding appropriations for a training program for state agencies involved in permitting, and oversight of carbon capture and storage demonstrations.

ACCI Submission: Inquiry into Climate Policy - April 2009 http://www.acci.asn.au//text_files/submissions/2009/2009-04%20ACCI%20Submission%20to%20Senate%20Select%20Committee%20on%20Climate%20Policy.pdf

US discussion draft on climate and energy policy

America's second drive to address climate protection
The US House of Representatives has presented a discussion draft on climate and energy policy. A decision is to be reached by year-end. The core of the new climate policy in the US will be the introduction of an emissions trading system. Greenhouse gas emissions are to be reduced by more than 80% by the middle of the century. Furthermore, the proposed legislation provides for greater incentives for renewable energies and low-carbon technologies than at present. Congress and the president will still have to resolve several allocation conflicts though to help ensure a successful launch...