Author: Andrew Macintosh, ANU

In late April, the Australian Government announced it was shelving its emissions trading scheme – the Carbon Pollution Reduction Scheme (CPRS) – until at least 2013. The decision sparked howls of protest with many complaining it would increase the cost of meeting Australia’s mitigation targets and slow investment in low-carbon technologies. There was also concern that the demise of the CPRS would be interpreted by other countries as a sign that Australia is stepping back from its mitigation commitments and is no longer interested in contributing to a strong climate outcome.

The CPRS was a far cry from good public policy, being both inefficient and inequitable. Read more…