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The Federal Government’s Chief Climate Change Advisor Ross Garnaut released his ‘Targets and Trajectories’ report on the 5th of September to the National Press Club in Canberra. The report recommends that, dependant on an international agreement reached at the 2009 UN Copenhagen Climate Conference, Australia should commit to a 10 per cent emissions reduction target by 2020. Without agreement in Copenhagen however Professor Garnaut suggests that Australia’s reduction target be adjusted to 5 per cent by 2020. The report also says that Australia should push for a global agreement to cap emissions at no more than 550 parts per million CO2-e. Read full story |
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Under the Carbon Pollution Reduction Scheme proposed by the Federal Government, three Australian businesses would be forced to shut down, four would need to fundamentally review operations and seven would be required to reduce operating costs, according to a report commissioned by the Business Council of Australia (BCA). Read full story |
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Mixed responses to the Federal Government’s 20 per cent renewable energy production by 2020 target continue to emerge from various industry and government groups. In a submission to the government, Heather Ridout, Chief Executive of the Australian Industry Group (AiGroup), said that the target is, “an ill advised and risky proposal that is likely to significantly increase the cost of greenhouse gas abatement in Australia.” Read full story |
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An August press release from the United Nations-backed Principles for Responsible Investment (UNPRI) reveals that despite the current global credit crisis, the past year since the beginning of the crisis there has seen a 65 per cent growth in signatories to the principles. The principles, a guide for, “global best-practices for implementing responsible investment,” currently boast over 400 global investment institutions, managing over US $15 trillion worth of assets, as signatories. Read full story |
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A recent study conducted by the UK based Ethical Research Investment Services (ERIS) and the Centre for Australian Ethical Research (CAER), reports that almost half of Australia’s largest 200 companies are at either a high or very high risk, as a result of climate change. According to the report 35.6 per cent of companies in the global 300 fall in the same category, suggesting that Australian companies are at greater risk than their international counterparts. Read full story |
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A survey this year of 270 large office tenants in Melbourne, Sydney, Brisbane, Adelaide, Canberra and Perth by Colliers International has found that sustainability is emerging as one of the key factors in workplace selection and design. Colliers International Research Director Felice Spark said, “tenants are noticing a big change in staff demand for environmental sustainability in their workplace. The push is coming from their people and so it has become a major issue in staff attraction and retention.” Read full story |
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A report released earlier this year by the WWF revealed that climate change is having an impact on the Arctic at a rate more rapid than previously thought. Studies show the arctic sea ice and Greenland Ice Sheet are the areas of most concern, amongst various Arctic systems experiencing melting that is significantly faster than previously predicted. |
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Melbourne Sustainability Drinks |
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