Australia’s first review of its emission-reduction targets will try to sidestep the political questions surrounding carbon markets, according to the head of the newly formed Climate Change Authority.
“It’s been a long time since we’ve had a national discussion on what Australia’s target should be,” Anthea Harris, chief executive officer of the climate authority, said in an interview fromMelbourne. “We’ve lost sight of what is most important. It’s time to refocus the national debate.”
Prime Minister Julia Gillard’s proposal to charge emitters for greenhouse gases has been disrupted by opposition leader Tony Abbott’s pledge to repeal the Clean Energy Act of 2011 law. Plunging prices for carbon allowances in the European Union, which were linked to Australia’s planned cap-and-trade system in 2012, will force Gillard’s Labour government to cut estimated revenue from the sale of carbon permits, Climate Change Minister Greg Combet said April 17.
Click here to read full story.
