Many are concerned with the price of natural gas. Natural gas is an important part of Australia’s overall energy mix; it represents roughly a quarter of all primary energy sources consumed. And, as we…
Australia is trying to decarbonise by 2050. The technology is there, but we need an economic revolution.
Owen James
The recent announcement that Australia is on track to meet its Kyoto Protocol target for greenhouse gas emissions is an indication of satisfactory performance, not an exemplary outcome. The target is 108…
Campbell Newman says Queensland's carbon-reduction policies aren't needed under a carbon price, but what does he mean?
AAP
In justifying their recent abandonment of state-based climate schemes, the governments of Queensland and Victoria have both claimed that the schemes will be redundant under the federal emissions trading…
Species have trouble getting around without landscape-scale corridors.
Michael Dawes
In the 1980s, ecologists were locked in a debate about how best to preserve biodiversity. Which, they asked, was better: a single large reserve, or several small reserves? The debate was never resolved…
Sending the same message to everyone at once is an old-fashioned approach.
Boston Public Library
The Federal Government is once again hitting difficulties in communicating its carbon pricing proposal, with polling finding Australians don’t like the word carbon. The government is reconsidering its…
With Alcoa reviewing its Geelong smelter, just what is the future for the aluminium industry?
AAP
The sight of molten metal pouring from a furnace has long been an iconic symbol of industrial might and wealth.
In Australia, the metallurgical industries have provided long term jobs and wealth to many…
Qantas has cited the carbon price and high oil costs for a price hike - but aviation pricing isn't straightforward.
AAP
Qantas and its low cost carrier division Jetstar have announced they will increase domestic and international airfares in stages from February through to July 1. The justification is a combination of increasing…
Australian newspapers took a largely negative view of carbon pricing.
avlxyz/Flickr
While corporate media often criticise the poor communication of others, they are reluctant to critique their own power to influence public opinion and debate. Today the Australian Centre for Independent…
Politicians who try to act on climate change face a gargantuan struggle.
Truthout.org
Roy Neel is an Adjunct Professor of Political Science at Vanderbilt University and a long-time staffer for former Vice-President Al Gore. Roy is in Australia as a Visiting International Fellow at the University…
There's a lot of detail in the carbon price legislation, but it comes down to six key points.
Australian Government
Australia’s carbon price mechanism has become law. But how does it work? There are six key points:
1. Australia’s emissions trajectory
Australia has committed unconditionally to reduce its greenhouse…
The media can't get enough of the controversy whipped up by climate sceptics.
Mat McDermott
When announcing the media enquiry in September this year, Senator Conroy committed to regulatory processes that support “a healthy and independent media that is able to fulfill its essential democratic…
Passing the carbon price through the Senate is a victory, but there is plenty yet to be done.
AAP Image/Alan Porritt
At long last, the Gillard Government’s carbon price is law. On July 1 next year, approximately 500 of our biggest companies will start paying the government $23 for every tonne of greenhouse gas they emit…
Sequestration of carbon dioxide is safe, effective and it's happening right now.
CO2CRC
By Richard Aldous, Cooperative Research Centre for Greenhouse Gas Technologies
One of the biggest challenges in our fight against climate change is reducing greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions from the energy sector.
Approximately 87% of current global primary energy supplies (and 67…
Cutting company tax rates reflects Labor's continuing acceptance of a neoliberal agenda when it comes to tax reform.
AAP
The introduction of the Minerals Resource Rent Tax into federal parliament marks the next step in Labor’s neoliberal tax reform agenda.
Another example, the carbon tax, is poised to pass through the Senate…
Unhappy with politics in this country? You're not the only one.
AAP/Alan Porritt
Australians are more dissatisfied with the way democracy works now than they were after the Rudd government was elected, a poll has found.
According to the ANU poll of 2001 people, there has been a 13…
The CEFC isn't the be-all and end-all of green power, but scrapping it would be a mistake.
Truthout.org/Flickr
Last week the Coalition announced it would scrap the Clean Energy Finance Corporation (CEFC) if it forms government.
As the main renewable energy investment measure included in the Clean Energy Future…
Businesses that talk about maximising the benefits could find the carbon tax is good for them.
Mays Business School
For most people, the debate about climate change and what we should do about it is not really based on the science. It’s much more about what they think the implications are for them.
Let’s face, it if…
Julia Gillard and Kevin Rudd celebrated the government's carbon tax success, but she doesn't have much reason to celebrate.
AAP/Alan Porritt
Last week demonstrated how fast fortunes may change in politics. Just as the government thought it could get onto the front foot, it experienced a significant setback by not being able to make changes…
Prime Minister Julia Gillard congratulates Kevin Rudd as the carbon pricing package passes the lower house.
AAP
Australian businesses are facing a significant new policy regime with the passing of the Federal Government’s controversial emissions trading legislative package through the House of Representatives…
Argument has raged outside parliament - is there anything left to say inside?
AAP
It all started in February when Prime Minister Julia Gillard announced her government would seek to introduce a carbon tax.
This signalled the start of a policy debate marathon that still shows no sign…
Future demand for electricity is hard to determine, but one thing's for sure: prices will rise.
freefotouk
On August 31, the Australian Financial Review reported that “Power-hungry states face energy shock”. Another article on page ten read “Electricity price explosion predicted”.
So, what is going on? Should…
Everyone has an opinion on how best to fund renewable energy.
kincuri/Flickr
By Paul Twomey, University of New South Wales and Neil Perry, University of Western Sydney
With the anticipated introduction of an Australia-wide carbon pricing scheme, there have been some calls to rationalise or scrap targeted climate policies, such as renewable energy support schemes, both…
Taking on climate change can put us on the path to a green industrial revolution.
Matt de Neef
Despite the poor outlook for the Earth’s climate, putting in place acceptable solutions is proving difficult. Mired in economic uncertainty, some countries are scaling back climate change efforts. But…
The planet is warming up but a carbon price is not the way to help
Flickr/Pilottage
The world is getting warmer and wetter, almost undoubtedly due to the fact that we are burning up fossil fuels at an incredible rate.
While this change in our climate will lead to some positive opportunities…
Planting the idea: Opposition Leader Tony Abbott opposes a carbon tax
AAP Image/Julian Smith
The big question about the carbon tax is not whether it’s a good or a bad idea in theory.
The major issue is whether it makes sense for Australia to implement it at a time of great uncertainty, both in…
Under the carbon tax, Australia will be doing some of its emissions reductions overseas.
Truthout.org/Flickr
Australia is set to use international emissions trading to meet part of an emissions reduction target. Is this sensible and necessary? And how can we achieve investment in real reductions, rather than…
Cate Blanchett is among the celebrities pressed into service to persuade us on political issues.
AAP/WWF
MEDIA & DEMOCRACY: This afternoon, Andrew Hughes examines which recent political adverts have been a success, as part of The Conversation’s week-long series on how the media influences the way our…
Facing up to our carbon responsibilities might make Australians happier.
the waving cat/Flickr
Let’s face it; we just don’t like the word “tax”, do we? Such a brouhaha, such a fuss. But let’s just take a break from the group hysteria to look at the carbon tax from a few different points of view…
The climate won't wait for financial markets, and it doesn't need to.
AAP
The stock market has taken us on a wild ride in recent times.
Some, such as BHP Chairman Jac Nasser and Victorian Premier Ted Baillieu, have suggested that in light of the ongoing economic uncertainty…
Complementary measures in the tax package make it easier for businesses to reduce emissions.
Theophilos/Flickr
With all the focus on the carbon tax, it is not surprising many people are unaware that the government’s carbon pricing package incorporated a suite of other measures to reduce emissions.
ClimateWorks…
Hazlewood coal-fired power station would be uneconomic under a carbon tax.
AAP
The carbon tax is the latest attempt by an Australian government to legislate in order to avert disaster, this time to the climate.
Whether the tax will become law sits on a knife edge, and the stakes…
Our weather systems are changing as the world warms.
Satoru Kikuchi/flickr
Speaking on the ABC, Professor Hans Joachim Schellnhuber, chief climate science advisor of the German Government, made a point even the least-informed should be able to understand.
“Our body temperature…
Interventionist or free market - just where do our economists sit?
Flickr/Daquella Manera
A funny thing happened on the way to this year’s Australian Conference of Economists.
A survey was conducted of the policy opinions of members of the Economic Society of Australia (ESA). Far from conforming…
Julia Gillard can sell the tax better if she puts it in terms of the natural wonders we are buying back.
AAP
Science is strengthening its view that business-as-usual emissions of greenhouse gases will result in serious risks while the Australian public’s perception of climate change as a risk erodes.
A recent…
Big sources of carbon emissions that Australia could influence, aren't being discussed.
AAP
The government’s position on climate change is now that it will pump $10 billion into particular projects and exact a minor tax on certain forms of electricity generation.
The Coalition’s position is…
Scare campaigns tap into public distrust of politicians.
The carbon tax will have a relatively small impact on household incomes, in most cases for those who are worse off, just a few dollars a week.
So why is it so hard to sell? The posing of this question…
Price-gouging might occur under the carbon tax regime, but market discipline will keep it in check.
Flickr/dmcneil
Federal Treasurer Wayne Swan has announced that the government will provide the competition watchdog with almost $13 million in extra funding to tackle carbon tax-related price-gouging.
In this context…
What will the carbon tax mean for our wide brown land?
bfick/flickr
The flurry of media that followed Julia Gillard’s announcement of the carbon price plan on Sunday had a clear, simple message. How much will you pay, and how much will you get back?
But the introduction…
The plan provides nearly $100 million for our unique biodoversity.
pierre pouliquin/flickr
How effective will the carbon tax package’s biodiversity measures be in conserving Australia’s ecosystems?
The carbon price package’s biodiversity measures are a pleasant surprise.
To the extent that…
More than just a patch of dirt: the clean energy plan should help us get the most out of our land.
bfick/flickr
The Australian government’s plan for a Clean Energy Future contains a number of measures aimed at supporting farmers and land managers to provide emissions offsets.
The plan consists of a mix of market…
Julia Gillard was confronted by a shopper about the government's carbon tax.
AAP/Patrick Hamilton
Before the details of the carbon tax were released this week, the government was fighting with one hand tied behind its back. Sometimes it looked like it had both hands and feet manacled as Prime Minister…
The scientists are talking and the Prime Minister is nodding, but is she really listening?
AAP
Amid the hullabaloo about the carbon tax and Clean Energy Future plan, few seem to spot its critical discrepancy. It recognises that maintaining a safe climate requires stabilising carbon pollution in…
Money is the key theme across the climate change debate: what happened to sustainability?
louisa catlover/flickr
The Government’s equation for creating a prosperous and sustainable Australia includes four key factors: carbon price, renewable energy, energy efficiency and land use efficiency. But it is evident that…
In the frame: David Jones has fallen victim of slumping consumer confidence - but is it warranted?
Consumer confidence has fallen by 8.3% to its lowest level in two years, according to the Westpac-Melbourne Institute Consumer Sentiment Index.
The drop has been connected to speculation about the impact…
Julia Gillard claims Peabody's $5bn bid shows international confidence in the coal industry's future.
AAP
Prime Minister Julia Gillard has claimed that US-based Peabody Energy’s $5bn takeover bid for Queensland’s Macarthur Coal represents an endorsement for the government’s carbon tax.
But does Peabody’s…
Latrobe Valley's longer term future will depend on the cost of building new gas-fired plants.
AAP
There appears to be lots of ‘doom and gloom’ around brown coal generation in Victoria’s Latrobe Valley under the carbon tax.
It is far from obvious that this is justified – at least in the next few years…
Tony Abbott says the carbon tax is "socialism by stealth"; but is it just "what's in it for me" politics?
AAP
Opposition leader Tony Abbott claims the proposed carbon policy is “socialism by stealth”? I wish!
I suspect we do need some emphasis on the common good and public benefits to counter the attempts to…
Without a carbon price, other countries may lose interest in our exports.
Joost J. Bakker IJmuiden/Flickr
In the lead up to the carbon price announcement, much of the criticism of the scheme has talked about the damage to Australia’s exports. But the move to price carbon could save us from a far worse economic…
Has this package got what it takes to get renewables off the ground?
Torresol Energy
In the lead-up to release of the carbon tax package, the government signaled a desire to end renewable energy support measures and rely solely on a carbon price to transform the Australian energy sector…
Households will bear more financial burdens as Gillard's carbon tax regime matures.
AAP
The carbon tax is short-term carrot and long-term stick. The Coalition’s campaign against “a great big new tax” drove Gillard to introduce a tax for which most people and businesses affected will be compensated…
Does Gillard's government's household compensation package add up?
jypsygen/flickr
A major component of the government’s plans for a clean energy future is an assistance package to compensate for higher prices affecting households. The government will increase pensions, allowances and…
The Australian government announced on 10 July it would introduce a carbon tax at $23 a tonne in July 2012, rising 2.5% annually plus inflation and moving to a market-based emissions trading scheme in…
Counterintuitively, the carbon tax may make it harder to get a bus.
Dale Gillard/Flickr
Transport accounts for 14% of Australia’s greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions and has one of the fastest emission growth rates. Cutting our national emissions might, therefore, be expected to shine a blowtorch…
Many of Ken Henry's changes have been adopted, but is it reform?
AAP
At first glance, the Federal Government’s carbon tax plan appears to carry out significant income tax rate reform in the guise of carbon price compensation.
Indeed, the proposed tax rate reforms adopt…
The power to save money under a carbon tax is in your hands.
EssG/Flickr
Will paying a price for carbon dioxide emissions make our lives miserable and destroy the economy? No. In fact, the carbon price could make households and businesses better off if they take a few important…
The carbon tax media conference sets the scene for the slogans of tomorrow.
AAP
It began with the familiar sight of the Prime Minister standing behind a lectern, flanked by Australian flags. But unlike previous press conferences, she was joined by Treasurer Wayne Swan and Climate…
Tripling the tax-free threshold could be the spoonful of sugar that makes the carbon price palatable.
AAP
Two years ago Australian climate policy looked dead. Now we are on the verge of legislation that puts a carbon price through much of the Australian economy, alongside new schemes to support renewable energy…
Prime Minister Julia Gillard and Climate Change Minister Greg Combet address a press conference on Sunday. A carbon tax package announced today includes compensation measures and a radical overhaul of income tax policy.
ABC News24
The Australian government announced on Sunday it would introduce a carbon tax at $23 a tonne next July, rising 2.5% annually plus inflation and moving to a market-based emissions trading scheme in 2015…
When we debate a carbon tax, how much thought are we giving to our fragile, drought-prone continent?
Raiden256/Flickr
As the old saying goes, “the road to Hell is paved with good intentions”. On Sunday, the exhausting, almost decade-long battle to put a price on carbon pollution enters a new phase, when the MultiParty…
Will Steffen (left) in conversation with academic Will Grant (right): "The misinformation campaign that’s been prominent in the media … really is having an impact."
Welcome to “In Conversation”, our series of discussions between leading academics and major public figures in Australian life.
Today, we’re In Conversation with the academic whose research informed the…
With a carbon price, is it OK to start small?
ntr23/Flickr
There is considerable media speculation that the Government will announce a carbon tax applying to a much smaller number of companies than had previously been expected.
As with much of what is announced…
Exempting petrol to protect rural families isn't very forward thinking.
Sids1/Flickr
Full revelations of the Gillard government’s carbon tax are expected in the coming days, but the decision to spare the Australian motorist has just been announced. Picking that this might happen was a…
If farmers aren't exempt, times could get even tougher.
Big Grey Mare/Flickr
The recent announcement that a carbon tax would not be levied on petrol for cars or light vehicles used by motorists, tradespeople and small businesses is an interesting political statement.
But this…
An emissions trading scheme and a carbon tax are not the same thing.
AAP
The proposed carbon pricing policy in Australia is now routinely referred to as a “carbon tax” by both government and opposition.
This is odd, because the proposed scheme is not actually a tax.
How does…
A big new tax isn't the problem, our levels of consumption are.
JPDaigle/Flickr
On Sunday 5 June 2011, 8000 people reportedly turned up to demonstrate support for the Government’s proposed carbon tax. By Sydney standards this amounts to a large public display of support for Government…
At the National Press Club on 7 June the Treasurer, Wayne Swan, promised to release “hundreds of pages” of Treasury modelling on the impact of imposing a tax on carbon pollution. The hundreds of pages…
An oil extraction project in Canada – a country absent from the Productivity Commission's carbon report.
AAP
One of the most basic questions to ask in any analysis of Australia’s carbon policy has always been: what is the rest of the world doing?
Last week, the Productivity Commission (PC) published a partial…
Is comparing Australia's coal to Norway's hydro a case of apples and oranges?
Marcus Ramberg/Flickr
Professor Ross Garnaut recently compared Australia and Norway in the context of climate change policy and a carbon tax. It is both curious that he should choose this comparison and that no journalist…
Good governance makes for boring pictures, but trustworthy carbon pricing.
AAP
The World Bank ranks Australia among the top five countries in the world in terms of its regulatory environment. Australia also ranks in the top ten countries in terms of control of corruption.
International…
A carbon price won't help much unless it keeps going up.
AAP
To achieve actual reductions in Australia’s emissions, the carbon price will need to rise from its likely starting point in the $20s. A price floor in the trading phase could help bring about efficient…
During a leadership vacuum on environmental policy, Cate Blanchett was heavily criticised for supporting a carbon tax.
AFP/Say Yes Australia
As the International Energy Agency says the world faces a bleak future as emissions fail to fall at a fast enough rate to combat climate change, the challenge is on for governments to act globally, but…
When the rich are scared to talk, something's clearly going wrong.
Paul Miller/AAP
Iconic Aussie entrepreneur Dick Smith is feeling intimidated. Not by growing population pressures, nor by climate change or carbon prices, but by the bullies at News Limited.
In a recent interview, Smith…
Are carbon campaigns failing miserably on strategy?
jondoig/Flickr
By Will J Grant, Australian National University and Rod Lamberts, Australian National University
Braying climate naysayers are annoying; but so are all those well-intentioned carbon tax advocates who fail to address the core problems and make the same mistakes time and time again.
If we’re going…
Fossil fuel power generation doesn't look like a great investment.
jon hanson/Flickr
New fossil-fuel power plants that nobody wants to pay for, electricity companies saying power prices will go through the roof: the economy of generating electricity is a complicated business.
Last week…
For politicians, there's no bright future in pushing up petrol prices
Alcohol Gasoline/Flickr
Politically, increasing petrol prices is one of the least popular things a government can do. But is there any point to a carbon tax if it doesn’t cover petrol?
Vladimir Putin has just found how quickly…
Turnbull made his position clear on the ABC's Lateline.
Malcolm Turnbull created a stir on Lateline last night by criticising opposition climate policy. The opposition spokesman for communications and former leader of the party implied that Tony Abbott’s “direct…
The future is renewable. Do we want to live in the past?
AAP
This week’s budget, with its withdrawal of subsidies for renewable energy, has left many commentators wondering if we’ve turned our back on carbon-neutral power. They should focus on the main game – the…
The government has walked away from some of its solar commitments.
AAP
Sadly, the major environmental policy announced in the Federal Budget yesterday was not an environmental policy at all but the change to the Fringe Benefits Tax.
The government announced changes to the…
An Australian carbon price needs to abide by a pile of international agreements.
AAP
Without a strong legal foundation, any carbon pricing scheme we come up with will be on shaky ground. And right now, the signs aren’t promising.
While we don’t yet have a firm idea of what will be incorporated…
A phased approach will help resolve divisions around carbon pricing.
AAP
Independent MP Tony Windsor was right in early March when he called for a debate on carbon pricing in Australia that is “a little bit more advanced than the word ‘lie’ and the word ‘tax’“.
The quality…
Some households will find life gets harder, whichever policy we choose.
Flickr/Josh Liba
Government modelling has given us a rough idea what a carbon tax could cost households, but will the burden be borne fairly? Whether we have a carbon tax or climate change, poor households will likely…
Here’s the problem. Going on a carbon diet is hard in the way that going on a calorie diet is not. For the most part, there is good information about the calorie content of food and I can regulate it myself…
Or can they? Some families may not be any worse off.
AAP
When we read that a carbon tax will hit the average hip pocket, should we worry? Will the ETS push us all into penury? And will it make any difference to our emissions at all?
Can we know the cost to…
When it comes to climate change policy, the numbers matter.
Philippe Put/Flickr
Economic arguments have come to dominate the Australian political debate about climate change. When it comes to climate policy, both the government and the opposition talk far more about taxes, trading…
Is Australia waiting for other countries to do all the hard work on renewables?
Torresol Energy
If Australia is truly serious about avoiding climate catastrophe we are going to need to move towards a zero-emissions economy.
A price on carbon emissions is an important component of climate protection…
Polluting our atmosphere shouldn't be free, for ethical reasons as well as economics.
AAP
The failure to adequately price carbon emissions allows the world’s affluent to impose serious climate-related costs upon its poor. But is this primarily an economic or an ethical issue?
Despite fierce…
At least three-quarters of city commuters travel by car.
AAP
Emissions trading is back in the news and in national political debate, as is the related question of how it will affect Australian motorists.
Fair enough. This should receive attention because greenhouse…
