Transcript Climate change mitigation Down Under Legislative responses in a

Robyn Briese
Presentation structure
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Commonwealth Carbon Pollution
Reduction Scheme (CPRS)
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Other state/territory and federal measures

The CPRS and complementary measures
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Issues for Copenhagen
Australia’s path to an ETS
2004-2007
2006
2007
2008
2010
Various National Emissions Trading
Taskforce reports
Stern Review, changed level of
public and media interest
Prime Ministerial Task Group on
Emissions Trading
Garnaut Climate Change Review and
Commonwealth Green Paper
CPRS start up
Australia’s proposed CPRS –
selected aspects
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Covers all 6 Kyoto GHGs & emissions
from stationary energy, transport, fugitive
emissions, industrial processes, waste
and forestry on an ‘opt-in’ basis
Majority of permits to be auctioned
Transitional ‘price-cap’ for at least first 4
years
At start up - no offsets without liability
Other climate change mitigation
measures in Australia
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Baseline and credit ETS (NSW, ACT)
Energy efficiency/low emissions and renewable energy
targets
Subsidies for the deployment of low emissions or renewable
energy and energy efficiency measures
Mandatory performance standards
Voluntary abatement schemes
Information based interventions (mandatory labelling,
provision of best practice information, emissions awareness)
Support for research and development (low emissions
technologies and energy efficiency)
Emissions related conditions on development approvals
Regulation of native vegetation clearing
Measures complementary to an
ETS should:
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Reduce the cost of emissions abatement by
addressing non-price market failures
Be an interim/transitional measure
implemented before the ‘carbon price’ is
established
Ensure that the impact of the ETS is
equitable
Assist in achieving other policy objectives
Target non covered sectors of the economy
Issues for Copenhagen
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Binding targets covering a significant proportion
of GHG emissions necessary for stringent
emissions cuts required
Complementary measures analysis can usefully
inform multi-track approach
International system should avoid offsets without
liabilities
Investment in renewables & energy efficiency is
a win-win for developed & developing countries
& can lower the cost of developing countries
entering into binding agreements in the medium
to long term
There are times in the history of humanity
when fateful decisions are made. The decision
this year and next on whether to enter a
comprehensive global agreement for strong
action on climate change is one of them….
If there is no such agreement, the outlook is
an unhappy one. On a balance of probabilities,
the failure of our generation would lead to
consequences that would haunt humanity until
the end of time.
(Garnaut Climate Change Review, 2008 at 591, 597)