Targeting meaningful change
What is the point of Canberra’s 40 per cent emission reduction target? If you thought it was to help reduce Australia’s greenhouse gas emissions then you should probably be far more concerned with the current negotiations between the Gillard Government, the Greens, Rob Oakeshott and Tony Windsor. Put simply, unless those negotiations result in a national scheme that recognises the ambitions of Canberrans then the 40per cent target will be nothing more than an expensive gesture on the part of the ACT. While the media focus is currently on the price of the interim “carbon tax” it is the Government’s clear intention to move as quickly as possible to its old emissions trading scheme. And once that begins, the interaction between the ACT’s targets and the national emissions cap becomes crucial.
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