The Government Has Released Ideas To Get Its Emissions Trading Scheme To More Effectively Reduce Pollution

The Government has released ideas to get its Emissions Trading Scheme to more effectively reduce pollution. Currently, a large emitter can buy carbon units from forests to cover its entire greenhouse footprint, which effectively offsets the pollution. Climate Change Minister James Shaw presented four ideas and launched a public consultation. He says two of the four proposals came from the public and neither limit forestry. James Shaw says the Government could become the sole purchaser of carbon units from trees, potentially buying removals from indigenous forests at a premium price and boosting biodiversity. Minister Shaw says the current carbon price within the ETS is not expensive enough to promote a significant switch away from fossil fuels. The public can provide feedback on the ideas from now until Friday August 11.