Senators, it’s time to strengthen, not weaken, CPRS

Date: 12-Oct-2009

The Australian Conservation Foundation has welcomed the release of the Greens’ proposed amendments to the Carbon Pollution Reduction Scheme and urged all Senators to support them.

“Senators hoping to amend the Government’s proposed emissions trading scheme should look closely at these proposals,” said ACF’s campaigns director Denise Boyd.

“These are exactly the kind of improvements we need if we want Australia’s emissions trading scheme to be environmentally effective and would send a message to the world that Australia is prepared to walk the talk at home.

“As it stands the Carbon Pollution Reduction Scheme gets a ‘pass’.  Any further weakening would make that a ‘fail’.

“To amend the scheme along the lines proposed the Greens would lift it to an A.”

ACF has welcomed the proposals to:

  • Set a goal to stabilise concentrations of greenhouse gases in the atmosphere at 350ppm (parts per million)
  • Give Australian emissions trading flexibility to respond to emerging science by reviewing the scheme’s targets every two years
  • Include households’ voluntary actions to reduce emissions (by installing insulation, solar panels etc) in national emission reduction goals
  • Establish an ambitious program to green-up houses and commercial buildings
  • Provide industry assistance to commercialise renewable energy technologies
  • Remove perverse subsidies that encourage car use
  • Invest heavily in public transport.
“ACF’s support for the CPRS is qualified and will not hold if the legislation is weakened when it returns to the Senate next month,” Ms Boyd said. 

“ACF will continue to push for improvements to the legislation and will vigorously oppose weakening.”

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