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Messing with numbers

Sunday, 21 December 2008 23:11 By Chris Innis

Last week the Rudd Government in Australia announced its carbon reduction targets. They seemed to please no one with a 5 to 15% reduction from 2000 levels by 2020 although the Government maintained a commitment to reduce emissions by 60% by 2050 against 2000 levels. The latter won't really matter because the current Government won't be in office.

The flexibility in the Australian approach is being driven by uncertainities elsewhere and in particular what other nations might eventually agree on carbon reduction leves and of course, the prejuduce a carbon tax might have on the local economy.

But the announcement, and the Government's appraoach to the issue, is bringing forward a wider concern which will plague attempts to reduce emissions: that is the messing with numbers.

Energy Bill Needs A Few More Ideas

Wednesday, 10 December 2008 00:12 By Chris Innis

The Energy Bill was passed last week and while some argue that it doesn't go far enough, it does pave the way to at least some scheme for feed in tariffs. These tariffs, experience in Germany and Spain shows, are needed to get renewable energy into national grids. A target of 80% reduction in emissions against 1990 levels by 2050 is ambitious. To achieve it, the Government needs to quickly move on setting rates for feed in tariffs.
This is the first step in getting investment moving, especially if this financial downturn lingers. Industry and investors might like the sound of clean technology but right now they are minded to stay with the cheapest option, fossil fuels. The Government should think otherwise and frankly not get too worried if it needs to adjust parameters later.

Environmental organisations

Monday, 22 September 2008 11:08 By Mark Williams

Click below for a directory of the UK's main environmental organisations, their type, telephone number and web address

Spotlight: UK CEED

Monday, 22 September 2008 09:27 By Mark Williams

The UK Centre for Economic and Environmental Development is a long title for a small
but very effective charity whose sole purpose is to prove that making money is compatible with
sustainability
The reasons UK CEED has fetched up in a former teacher's training college building in Peterborough are all around, says Gareth Jones.
The charity's project manager has a point; just down the road from what is now the Eco Innovation
Centre, there's the headquarters of what used to be English Nature, now Natural England. The
Environment Agency's Anglian region HQ is in Peterborough. So's Anglian Water. And so are a
plethora of relevant trade associations, such as the British Agrochemicals Association, The Fresh
Produce Consortium and the Crop Protection Association.

The Politics Of Climate Policy

Wednesday, 16 July 2008 03:58 By Chris Innis

In the last two weeks, the new Australian Government has begun to commit itself to a series of climate change policies which if fully implement will have a significant impact on the Australian economy and if not implemented by the rest of the world little impact on climate change. It is a dilemna facing many smaller, well developed countries.

Australia has 21 million people and is responsible for about 1.5% of the world's carbon emissions. It is one of the highest emitters of carbon because...

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