Is Australia's Emission Trading System Greenwash?

In this Issue

    * Note from Jean
    * What’s new at Enviro Action
    * Links to Articles

Note from Jean

Is Australia’s Emission Trading System going to work effectively or is it just greenwash?  Inevitably there is debate about whether it is suitable, enough, not enough or too soon.

The major question should be “will it actually work to reduce emissions” or is it just lip service to the Kyoto Protocol and too legalistic and rigid?

Senator Wong, the Climate Change Minister, rejected spending on research abour biochar because that is not listed in the protocol.  Thankfully some soil carbon storage research will now be funded in the agriculture budget but that begs the requirement for the flexibility to take account of new and future technology.

If the ETS cannot deliver real carbon reductions it is really a form of “greenwash” saying we signed Kyoto and have done something before the next election.

Australians do need to take action about carbon reduction.  We are both the most vulnerable continent for feeling the effects of global warming and also we are the worst greenhouse emitters per head than any other country on the planet.  We emit even more than the USA and Canada who are our nearest competitors for this wooden spoon.  This is at least in part due to our huge coal industry.

It is hard to see how exempting large emitters and ignoring the 1.9 million small to medium businesses is going to help us reduce our carbon footprint.

These same small businesses are currently suffering from financial stress, the business owners and managers are overworked and simply don’t feel able to handle anything new. Many don’t really understand what global warming is about or why it matters.

We urgently need unambiguous communication so that small to medium businesses accept the reality of the need for change and also how easy it can be to make significant reductions with minimal time input and save money at the same time.

The help we need to give low income households should reduce their carbon footprint with more efficient heating and cooling and effective public transport.  We should NOT be giving them even more cash hand outs as “compensation”.  All households need to come on board.

We need a clear message that going green applies to all of us, is easy and saves money – just “go for a grumpy walk and just turn it off”.  If every small business and householder just went around each office and home and did this it would be relatively easy for every one to reduce their carbon emissions and their power bill by 15-20%.

At present we are told it will be difficult and it only applies to big business.

Such a wrong message – we all need to pull together.

The big problem is that the government looks ahead 3 years to the next election, Big Biz CEO’s also look to the short term of their contracts and bonuses.  Who looks ahead for our children?

What’s new at Enviro Action

Like many of you, I am a business person who also cares about the environment.  I want to be comfortable in my lifestyle but I also make sure that I reduce my emissions.  I am not a “greenie” but I look at my small grandchildren and think about the challenges they will face in 40 years if we do not get on a make a difference now. 

I recognise that it is not practical for business to spend money unless it brings a real measurable return.

The thing is that it is easy to be green and make substantial reductions in our carbon emissions with small changes in habits and then we also save ourselves a lot of money from the bottom line.  Going green makes sense.

If you want to join the ranks of businesses making a difference what training can I do and pick the option that suits you.  Some people want to reduce their carbon footprint and others want an ISO 14001 management system and others read my books.

You will find that online group consultancy allows you to save you time and reduce your costs because of the increased efficiency and lack of travel and if if you are really watching cash flow choose Do-It-Yourself option with off-the-shelf modules. And yes, I do provide a premium one-on-one option on or offline specially tailored for your business.

I am also inviting you to a completely free monthly teleconference “Reduce Your Carbon Footprint Action”   Tuesday March 7th 9.30 am Adelaide Time 9.00 EST Australia which is Monday 6th March 8pm New York Time.  This will give you practical ideas to help you start saving immediately.

My reason for being is to help small to medium businesses be sustainable by helping the environment AND saving money, so if this makes sense for your business please come and ask me for help.  My phone number is 08 8364 5741.

Sustainable businesses understand that reducing its carbon emissions saves money now and in the longer term.  Keep it simple and easy.

Here are the links to the latest articles on the Enviro Jean BlogA solution to climate change could be charcoal

According 2007 Australian of the Year Tim Flannery, a type of charcoal called Biochar not only sequesters carbon, but it also provides energy and improves the agricultural output of poor soils.  Krull  from CSIRO in Adelaide, Australia says that “Biochar can be produced in a carbon negative way, which means it has a carbon sequestration potential. Applied to soil, it can result in enhanced nutrient retention, and due to its high absorptive capacity, [it] can also decrease the uptake of soil toxins.”

Biochar is charcoal made in an enclosed space under low-oxygen conditions. By keeping the oxygen levels low, more carbon remains in the char, which lasts at least 100 years.  It has a chemical structure that makes it very difficult to break

Wars and hungry refugees a consequence of global warming

Traditional food production areas, such as the Mediterranean and large parts of southern Australia, may become unsuitable for agriculture because of soaring temperatures and low rainfall.....

Oh Dear – Cars running on liquid from coal?

Electric cars have been getting a lot of news lately, but in many parts of the world, and especially Australia, electricity is made from coal and an electric car actually emits more greenhouse gas than a petrol one.  Now they are suggesting making liquid fuel from coal.  They have developed a new method to do this cheaply but it is still an environmentally unfriendly fuel.  If oil prices rise again, there could be a push to use this coal-derived fuel could produce as much as twice as much CO2 as traditional petroleum fuels and at very best could be best will emit at least as much of the greenhouse gas.

The confused leading the confused and even more confusion

I read a headline saying “Rudd gives emissions trading advice in US.”  As I do not think Australia has this sorted out yet, I find it scary.

AND Congress has been addressed by a British climate change nutter and been told to ignore President Barack Obama’s plan to place limits on carbon emissions because climate change does not exist.  Plus they were addressed on the biblical view that “sees Earth and its ecosystems as the effect of a wise God’s creation and … therefore robust, resilient, and self-regulating, like the product of any good engineer.”  Blimey!

5 steps to protect the environment starting at home

The average household can be responsible for nearly twice the greenhouse gas emissions as the average car.  If you can reduce your carbon emissions you also reduce your power bill!

...............................

I wrote my newsletter about my concerns re the ETS a few days ago then went surfing the net and found I am not the only one concerned so I have added a couple of extra voices below.
Climate plan ‘waste of money’

The head of the Australia Institute’s Think Tank says that the Federal Government’s emissions trading scheme will have too many permits and will not reduce carbon emissions.  The Australia Institute’s executive director, Dr Richard Denniss, said the scheme’s flaws related to the 5 to 15 per cent emission reduction targets, which he described as ”ridiculously low”, and he said there would be too many permits.  Dr Dennis said that “We won’t achieve the policy goal, which is to reduce emissions.”
More flaws in emissions trading scheme

Any policy that undermines voluntary action is unacceptable.  A ministerial brief to the Victorian Government confirms criticism that cuts in greenhouse gas emissions achieved by households and governments will not be additional to industry targets under the emissions trading scheme, but will instead decrease pressure on industry to cut emissions.

The brief advises that the state should only bother with green measures if they are more cost-effective than alternatives.  They have been told to rethink programs such as subsidies for solar farms and hybrid car fleets because these will not contribute to any additional emission cuts under the federal scheme.

Kindest regards

Jean Cannon
Helping business build effective management systems to save money and grow
It is easy to be green

Winner 2008 FarmBis Distance Learning/eLearning and 2007 South Australian Seafood Industry Training Award in recognition of training excellence.

For more information or suggestions about how I can serve you better,
please contact me on jean@enviroaction.com.au.

Customer information is never supplied to any other list or provider.  We retain your information only so we can serve you better and supply you with bonuses and additional information as it becomes available in the future.  Your information is kept using our strict in-house confidentiality procedures.