Renewable energy

Garnaut can’t see the forest for the trees

GreensBlog - July 4, 2008 - 4:37pm

This was published in Crikey this afternoon. My release from today is here.

Professor Garnaut’s much-awaited Draft Report is, in general, strong on the architecture but terribly weak on the big, over-riding issue – preventing runaway climate change. His policy prescriptions are completely out of step with his science.

When we were looking for a transformative vision to take Australia into the post-carbon world, we got an incrementalist approach with a slow start and even a step backwards on the 2050 target. Read more »

60% by 2050 not even in the ballpark..

GreensBlog - July 2, 2008 - 5:40pm

Andrew Macintosh from the ANU Centre for Climate Law and Policy and I released a paper on the implications of carbon-cycle feedbacks on climate policy today. The summary is below or the full paper can be downloaded here. It ain’t good news..

A national renewables feed-in law is one step closer

GreensBlog - June 17, 2008 - 4:05pm

Very pleased to announce that the Private Member’s Bill for a comprehensive national feed-in law for renewable energy that Christine introduced last month has been successfully referred to the Senate Environment Committee for a formal Inquiry. Read more »

Watch Christine Milne’s Budget Reply for the Greens

GreensBlog - May 29, 2008 - 8:51pm

This has taken a while, but we finally have Christine’s Budget Reply Speech up on YouTube and postable to the blog. Those of you who have enjoyed reading or listening to it may be interested in watching it.
In five parts.

A comprehensive national feed-in law

GreensBlog - May 15, 2008 - 6:23pm

Against the backdrop of several appalling Rudd Government Budget decisions that will undermine the renewables industry in Australia even further (some of which are detailed here), Christine Milne introduced a Private Member’s Bill in the Senate this morning to establish an comprehensive national feed-in law.
Feed-in laws support the rapid and unlimited growth of the renewables [...]

Renewables - start delivering by 2020

Larvatus Prodeo - July 3, 2008 - 7:30am

While we wait with feverish anticipation (or at least I do) for Garnaut and what he has to say about emissions trading, the government has released a new discussion paper about its other major greenhouse mitigation effort in the energy sector - the Mandatory Renewable Energy Target (MRET) scheme. If you’re concerned about the development of renewable energy technology, this is the one to pay attention to. Read more »

Help me make a renewables feed-in law a reality

GreensBlog - June 20, 2008 - 4:48pm

The Senate Environment Committee is calling for submissions to an inquiry into my renewable energy feed-in Private Member’s Bill, which we negotiated and were successful in having referred earlier this week. Read more »

Senate Estimates on solar rebate, Garnaut, oil price, green loans and more

GreensBlog - June 3, 2008 - 5:40pm

As the team at Hansard are struggling valiantly to catch up on the huge quantity of transcribing work coming out of Senate Estimates, it’s going to be a little while before we’re up to date here on what’s been happening, but I thought I’d post a few key climate and oil-related transcripts now.
The one that [...]

Stuck in the coal age, when the solar century has already begun

GreensBlog - May 21, 2008 - 11:27am

ABC Online kindly published this piece of mine today here. It’s very encouraging to see the overwhelmingly positive comments thread thus far.

Martin Ferguson, let the cat out of the bag shortly after the Budget, when he said that carbon capture and storage would be “essential for the long-term sustainability of coal-fired power generation.” With those [...]

The climate Budget betrayal

GreensBlog - May 15, 2008 - 2:21pm

Crikey published this piece from me today, in the lead up to my Budget Reply speech tonight, which I will post to the blog as soon as the Hansard is available.
Tuesday night’s Budget was a slap in the face for all those Australians who voted for the Labor Party at the last election in the [...]