The future of voluntary action by Australians to cut carbon pollution is potentially under threat from official government climate change policy, an alliance of business and environment groups has warned. Read the communique here.
A communiqué signed by the Total Environment Centre (TEC) and more than a dozen businesses was released today calling on the Federal Government to provide certainty for consumers by ensuring that voluntary actions, like purchasing offsets, effectively reduce emissions beyond Government compliance targets. TEC executive director Jeff Angel said: “We are calling on the Federal Government to be proactive in ensuring that Australia retains a strong, high-quality and innovative voluntary carbon sector. The communiqué makes constructive suggestions on how to work towards achieving this.” “This needs to be a specific objective of the design and implementation of the Carbon Pollution Reduction Scheme, which is scheduled to be legislated in 2009 and implemented in 2010 to create a national compliance carbon market." Climate Friendly Carbon Strategy Manager, Laura Eadie said: “While critically important, the
Government’s mandatory emissions scheme will involve only the top 1,000 companies in Australia. The Government must provide certainty to allow the 20 million individuals and 7.6 million businesses not included in the mandatory scheme to take effective voluntary action to reduce emissions over and above any short term compliance targets.” Andrew Barson, Director of the Carbon Reduction Institute said: “GreenPower and the carbon offset sector have enabled Australians to take personal action against climate change by contributing funds to local projects. The current CPRS design will force Aussies to purchase their offsets from overseas projects rather than investing in projects within Australia.” “Citizens should be able to act on the advice of scientists and drive further local action against climate change beyond the levels that have been set by government. Whilst the compliance market is crucial, care needs to be taken to ensure that the Carbon Pollution Reduction Scheme does not remove the existing capacity of the voluntary sector and impede further development of these emission reduction projects in Australia,” Mr Barson said. The voluntary carbon market in Australia has over 50 business operators, has created hundreds of jobs in carbon trading and is responsible for millions of tonnes per annum of emission reductions. Download the communique For further information contact spokespersons:
• Jeff Angel, Executive Director, Total Environment Centre (02) 9261 3437
• Laura Eadie, Carbon Strategy Manager, Climate Friendly (02) 9356 3600
• Andrew Barson, Director, Carbon Reduction Institute (02) 9439 9990 | 
