GreenPower: keep it real

Consumers shouldn't pay more to pollute less so big business can pay less to pollute more.
 
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  • Updated:10 Mar 2009
 

02.The issue

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Nearly every Australia has already taken action to reduce their carbon emissions. Whether you are turning off lights or driving less, buying carbon offsets or even installing solar panels. We are all concerned about climate change, and we want to know that our actions count. And that what we are doing is helping to reduce the impacts of climate change.

But under the government’s proposed Carbon Pollution Reduction Scheme (CPRS), what you do to reduce carbon emissions won’t make a difference at all to Australia’s total emissions. In fact, the more emissions you abate through your actions, the more emissions Australia’s biggest polluters can pollute.

In 2008, GreenPower provided over 1.8 million megawatt hours per annum to over 877,000 households and 34,000 businesses. Under the government’s proposal all 1.8 million MWh generated each year through GreenPower simply won't count as additional to the mandatory target.

 

 

We think that the government’s proposed CPRS undermines the actions of Australians motivated to reduce carbon emissions, and prevents you from taking meaningful action on climate change. 

An emissions trading scheme can be an important part of Australia’s response to climate change, but it cannot be the only response and it must not undermine other action. We all have the right – indeed, we should be encouraged – to act independently to play a part in tackling climate change.

We want the government to ensure that your voluntary actions to reduce carbon emissions are counted as additional to the government-mandated cap.

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