Carbon Economy

| January 30, 2009
Carbon Economy

The implementation of The Carbon Pollution Reduction Scheme (CPRS), formerly known as The Carbon Emissions Trading Scheme, is going to be the biggest shake up in Australian taxation and compliance since the GST was introduced.

There is great emphasis placed on the need for our response to climate change to be "economically responsible".  Is success possible without a bit of pain? How much are we, as individuals and as a nation, prepared to sacrifice to reduce carbon emissions?

  • Are we ready for a carbon emissions trading scheme?
  • Should Australia be a trailblazer or wait for international consensus on targets?
  • What are your views on carbon emission reduction targets?
  • How will the proposed changes affect you and your business?
  • Is the term "clean coal" an oxymoron?
  • Are you already participating in a carbon pollution reduction scheme on a voluntary basis?

All throughout February 2009 we will be bringing you blogs from experts and thought leaders in this field.

At the conclusion of the month, a report will be tabled summarising the conclusions and recommendations of this  forum, which will be offered for subsequent consideration by the newly formed Carbon Economy Task Force.

Carbon Economy

Our featured forum of the month for February is "Carbon Economy".

The costs and benefits of carbon trading remain amongst the most hotly debated topics in the international community. For Australia, a major exporter of uranium, coal and natural gas and one of the world’s biggest carbon emitters per capita, the transition to a low carbon economy presents a myriad of environmental, political, economic, industrial, scientific and social challenges, as well as opportunities.

Are we ready for a carbon emissions trading scheme?

Regardless of whether you care deeply about the environment and climate change or not, the time is nigh that you will need to understand the Carbon Economy.

Should Australia be a trailblazer or wait for international consensus on targets?

What was your reaction to the Garnaut Report and Government’s CPRS White Paper?

Green groups say they are too low, industry insists they are too high. What are your views on carbon emission reduction targets?

In the dark of an economic crisis, will the dawn of the Carbon Economy herald in a new class of "green collar" workers? New job titles are emerging, carbon consultants, carbon lawyers, carbon accountants, is this you? 

How will the proposed changes affect you and your business?

As we’re all finding our feet on this new ground, who shall we ask for advice? Without a clear precedent, how can we ensure our own compliance? 

Can Australia reduce its carbon footprint not only without reducing our international competitiveness, but actually whilst increasing it?

In the battle to reduce carbon pollution, a carbon emissions trading scheme is limited. It must be supported by an overall reduction of emissions which will be impossible without breaking our dependence on fossil fuels.

How can we support the commercialisation of green technologies?

Australians are great innovators. Hopefully the Carbon Economy will encourage the uptake of new developments in alternative and renewable energies. There have already been fantastic advancements in the fields of solar, geo-thermal, wind and hydro technology; just how far away are these alternatives from being mainstream options?

Is the term "clean coal" an oxymoron?

How about carbon offsetting? What are the legal, financial and ethical distinctions to be drawn between passive and active carbon offsetting? Where do carbon capture technologies operate fit in to this picture?   

Are you already participating in a carbon pollution reduction scheme on a voluntary basis?

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All throughout February 2009 we will be bringing you blogs from experts and thought leaders in this field.

Follow the links below to read the related blogs and articles, you can login in and post your comments in response. Or, if you have any general comments just post them as a comment on the noticeboard below.

If you would like to contribute you own blog of 500-800 words please contact srose@openforum.com.au for more information or to forward your submission. If you are new to blogging, check out our Top 10 Blogging Tips for a start.

Somebody you want to hear from on this issue?  Let us know and we will do our best to get their opinion for you, email contributor suggestions to srose@openforum.com.au

At the conclusion of the month, a report will be tabled summarising the conclusions and recommendations of this  forum, which will be offered for subsequent consideration by the newly formed Carbon Economy Task Force.

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0 Comments

  1. lez

    February 4, 2009 at 12:24 am

    Media Blank of Climate Change Summit Canberra

    What gives?I didn't expect huge coverage from past experience but the media coverage of the summit was truly underwhelming ,even for Australias largely conservative media outlets.

    Lez

  2. Ray Welsh

    February 12, 2009 at 3:58 am

    Fossil Fuels, Carbon Economy & Cars

          Fossil fuels, Carbon economy and cars

    Imagine if you had a great new idea today, and proposed to introduce petrol powered cars as a means of transport for the general population.

    Firstly, the government would require an environmental impact statement (EIS), regarding the safety of petrol, to both the population and the environment.

    Questions such as the following could be asked:

    1…Is petrol volatile?

    2…Is it safe for the population to handle?

    3…In the event of accidents, what are the risks?

    4…When it is burned in a car engine, are the emissions dangerous?

    Let me comment that petrol is a highly volatile substance and can become a fireball when exposed to a single spark. It would NOT be allowed to be introduced onto the market today due to public safety issues. Meantime, the oil companies still hold the world as hostages.

    Next, we must look at Electric vehicles powered by batteries:

    1…Are batteries volatile?

    2…Are they safe for the population to handle?

    3…In the event of accidents, what are the risks?

    4…Zero emissions, so no question this time.

    Batteries similar to those used in modern electric cars are carried around by all people who use cell phones or desktop computers. They just use more of them but there's nothing too dangerous about that.

    For V8 performance enthusiasts who like fast cars, I suggest that you google <tesla electric car> for a comparison with your favourite dragster.

    Finally, electric vehicles will reduce atmospheric pollution, noise pollution and give you the quietest ride of your life. In the foreseeable future, they can be covered with Photovoltaic cells which will top up your batteries as you work or shop.

  3. MikeM

    February 19, 2009 at 8:51 am

    Flammability of petrol

     Petrol is highly flammable but a spark is unlikely to set liquid petrol alight. Fires and explosions are usually caused by ignition of petrol vapour, which will burn in concentrations of between 1% and 8% in air. The Glasgow terrorist bombers who tried to firebomb nightclubs in London and then the terminal building at Glasgow airport in April 2008 failed because, though the floor of the cars they used was doused in petrol, they left the windows shut and the petrol vapour concentration was too high to ignite.

    Petrol vapour is denser than air. Many's the pleasure boat owner who has discovered to his cost that petrol vapour accumulating in the bilges of a boat from a leak can, if ignited, cause a fire that destroys the vessel.

    In any case, if petrol were considered an unacceptable risk, diesel fuel is substantially less volatile and less dangerous, and modern diesel engines are more efficient than petrol engines.

    Electric vehicles are only zero-emission if the electricity generated to recharge their batteries is produced by a zero-emission process.

    MikeM is roadkill in the wake of the capitalist juggernaut but his voice continues to protest that he is not an individual.

  4. ack2nd

    October 22, 2009 at 2:51 am

    the great CETS rort

    another greedy tax is going to be put in place by the predominantly left wing socialist western governments. Rudd needs to recover a lot of revenue that he graciously handed out 2 minutes after being elected. what better way than falling into line and proposing to tax the energy industry. easy money, nearly as easy as the alcohol and tobacco industry.no matter how much we get taxed, we will still produce the same emissions. it’s been proven, no matter how much tobacco products are taxed people still use these products. human nature dictates this and the honourables all know this.

    where would western societies finances be, if over night, everyone stopped drinking alcohol, stopped smoking and caught the bus to work? it would be fine of course, because they would find another way of taxing us. oh, that’s right, they’re working on that one as we speak. it’s called the carbon emissions trading rort (oops sorry) scheme.

     

  5. chad

    February 7, 2010 at 11:17 am

    ETS

    What a load of rubbish.   The man made carbon dioxide from Australia makes up 0.18 of 1% of all the carbon dioxide in the world; so why spend billions of dollars reducing something which is already close to zero?!      This is just a con job set up by Al Gore, with a number of others in an attempt to tax the world to give him enormous sums of money to play with and feel important.   He hasn’t got over losing the election about 6 years ago!   We won’t have an ETS.   It will never get through the senate.   For those who want to hear the truth in detail about this farce, should listen to Lord Monckton.   He is about the only one who has the guts to stand up and tell the truth to the world about what’s going on.

  6. RLS2000

    March 7, 2010 at 6:49 am

    its an interim solution, but a path into the right direction?

     

    The discourse on global warming will continue as long as there is a capitalist system in place, since we are yet to come up with a better alternative. Based on this capitalist system, everything is possible unless it begins to eat into company profits, thus leading to “the economically responsible” debate. If company profits are affected, a chain reaction can occur, where by companies either reduce their costs or increase their sales prices. Either way, we the people bear the grant of either decision, whether as increase unemployment, lower salaries or higher prices at the cashiers. In other words, tackling global warming will inevitably cause some pain for the individuals, our nation and the world itself.
    There will be pain…to use the words of Ben Franklin’s "but in the world nothing can be said to be certain except death and taxes." For if we prefer to avoid the idea that our actions do not affect the world we live in, whether we believe in global warming or not, our selfish practices will lead to an early death, maybe not ours but our children and theirs.
    So, if it comes to a decision on whether or not to pay a tax, I predict we will pay, just as we voted to pay GST, tax that was meant to target cash economy, which still an issue today!
    On a positive note, we can avoid the individual cost of CPRS by using less energy! However I wonder how many of us spend less to avoid GST?
    Ironically, as ‘ack2nd’ points out, our own need to consume is causing the problem in the first place. So let’s be honest and admit that as much as we hate government, both as businesses and individuals, we need some sort of guidelines to which to adhere to, and if an CETS or CPRS gets us to think about our actions and their consequences, then why not continue the path towards a interim solution. I am happy to pay what’s due now, rather than my kids later on?

  7. SillyJellyBean

    April 16, 2012 at 11:46 pm

    Cost of Carbon Tax to us as individuals?

     I was concerned about what it all means for us as individuals in our day to day lives. Found a helpful summary on Woohoo Group’s facebook, which is good for a basic level – my concern is how much is it going to cost us really weekly/yearly – and what can we do to minimise what it will cost us? 

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