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> 7 million
TREES PLANTED
since 1997
25 March 2009
Submission to Senate Standing Committe on Economics
Greenfleet welcomes the opportunity to respond to the Inquiry into the exposure drafts of the legislation to implement the Carbon Pollution Reduction Scheme (the Legislation).
Greenfleet acknowledges that the Carbon Pollution Reduction Scheme (CPRS) is the hub of the Australian Government's Climate Change policy. The operation of an efficient market mechanism is one way that the Government can achieve substantial reductions to greenhouse gas emissions over time. However, there is merit in the operation of a robust voluntary market that garners the community's and industry's desire to take credible action that is complementary to the CPRS and that will deliver reductions beyond compliance.
Summary & Recommendations
It is imperative to recognise and promote voluntary action by individuals and businesses that wish to make a difference to global emission reductions. The current design of the CPRS:
- Disempowers the community by sending a clear message that local action under covered sectors does not make a difference to Australia's net emissions, thus failing to galvanise the recognised need and desire to contribute to the solution on a household by household, business by business basis.
- Drives voluntary abatement offshore, through the preferential purchase of international permits over local abatement.
- Stalls the growth of a carbon-constrained economy by killing 'green-collar' jobs, innovation, skills and knowledge in Australia's renewable energy and carbon abatement industry and once again, sending the message that imported solutions are better than those developed within our shores.
The uncertainty regarding the operation of the CPRS and recognition of voluntary action creates an excuse for further delays in taking action.
These issues can be overcome by developing simple mechanisms that allow the local voluntary market to operate in alignment with the CPRS. These mechanisms for empowering voluntary action are:
- A commitment by the Australian Government to quarantine voluntary abatement activity from CPRS and Kyoto compliance requirements,
- Inserting a clause into the CPRS legislation that enables adjustment of the CPRS and Kyoto caps for each unit of retired Australian certified voluntary abatement.
- (Re)establish a framework, which is aligned to the CPRS registries, for the registration and certification of voluntary abatement.