Zero Waste Australia

LABOR'S chief adviser on climate change policy believes the market will resolve most problems arising from the introduction of an emissions trading scheme, while power companies claim market forces are likely to cause the greatest disruption.

Presenting his blueprint for an emission trading scheme from 2010 to 800 business representatives yesterday, Ross Garnaut said he favoured a simple and transparent system with minimal intervention from government.

LONDON (Reuters) - Greenhouse gas emissions fell nearly two percent
in 2007, keeping the country on track to meet its targets under the
Kyoto Protocol, the government's environmental agency said on Thursday.

Provisional statistics published by the Department for Environment,
Food and Rural Affairs (DEFRA) showed that total greenhouse gas
emissions dropped to 639.4 million tonnes of carbon dioxide equivalent
in 2007, down from 652.3 million tonnes in 2006.

Premier Paul Lennon announced today, that respected international consultancy Parsons Brinckerhoff would be engaged to audit the Government's greenhouse emissions.

"While other state governments have audited some of their operations, Tasmania will be the first state to embark on a whole-of government audit of emissions.

"We are leading the way on climate change," Mr Lennon said

Parsons Brinckerhoff is one of the world's most highly regarded environmental, planning, engineering and project management firms.

Australian governments need to consider using all available water resource options, not just desalination technology, says a senior scientist with the Australian Water Association.

Dr Diane Wiesner will tell the Second International Salinity Forum's discussion on desalination on Monday that other options for satisfying increasing water demand should include stormwater reuse and wastewater treatment.

The compulsory use of biofuels to partially power every vehicle in Britain could cause higher levels of greenhouse gas emissions, the Government's top environment scientist warned.

Professor Robert Watson called for the move - designed to cut harmful carbon emissions - to be postponed while a review of the impact of biofuels is carried out.

The Renewable Transport Fuels Obligation (RTFO) is due to take effect from April 1, when biofuels will have to comprise at least 2.5% of fuel at the pumps.

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Seeby Woodhouse, founder of Orcon and New Zealand Entrepeneur of the Year 2004, hi-jacked St Patrick's Day last night for his own spin on Green. Mr Woodhouse launched his new business initiative, Green Carbon, at the Westin Hotel, sporting a shiny green tie which could no doubt become his trademark.

Green Carbon is one of New Zealand's first carbon credit companies. It aims to buy and sell internationally certified carbon credits, as well as targeting and assisting small businesses to become 'carbon neutral'.

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It's not easy being a power plant manager: Noboby wants to talk about the future of nuclear power at the moment. The memories of the public relations disasters that were the accidents at the Brunsbüttel and Krümmel nuclear power stations—which saw both plants temporarily shut down last June—are still too raw.

AUSTRALIA'S scheme to cut greenhouse gas emissions will pour up to $20 billion a year — roughly the annual defence budget — into Federal Government coffers, new modelling shows.

Commissioned by the Climate Institute, a lobby group, it found Canberra will reap at least $400 million in 2011 and between $7.2 billion and $20.6 billion by 2020 if all businesses that emit greenhouse gases are forced to pay.

Judged by its sewers, the world is not doing well, with only three in 10 people now having a connection to a public sewerage system.

With the world's population expanding, a goal of improving sanitation by 2015 is slipping out of reach, despite progress in nations such as China and a few big contracts for firms to build waste treatment plants in cities from La Paz to Rabat.

A 2007 scorecard showed the sanitation goal was likely to be missed by 600 million people worldwide on current trends.

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THE Federal Government has announced a detailed timeline for a national carbon trading scheme which could be up and running by 2010.

The Government will also determine the impact on low-income earners if the cost of energy rises under any scheme.

Climate Change Minister Penny Wong said a consultation paper would be released in July and legislation could be drafted by the end of the year.  

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