Oz Corporate Groups Push For Climate Deal, But Urge Not To Concede "Too Much" To Greens

[hatrack]

Ed. - Sorry to be so pedantic, but what is "too much" in a collapsing biosphere?

Business groups are urging the federal government to broker a deal and get its key climate policy through parliament, while warning it not to concede too much to the Greens in the process. The government has been locked in negotiations with the Greens and key crossbenchers for weeks over its proposed changes to the so-called safeguard mechanism, with the Coalition remaining steadfastly opposed.

It's a key tool the government will rely on to meet its climate ambitions, capping and slowly reducing emissions from roughly 215 of Australia's heaviest-polluting companies. Emissions from the companies covered under the mechanism would fall by roughly 30 per cent by 2030.

Ed. - Emphasis added.

Federal parliament resumes on Monday for its final two weeks before the May budget, and the government needs the legislation passed well before July 1 when the changes are due to take effect. The Greens have called on the government to ban new coal and gas projects in exchange for their support, and have also raised concerns about the unlimited use of carbon credits. But business groups are broadly supportive of the changes, primarily arguing for the need for certainty in climate and energy policy.

EDIT

Many in the Greens have raised concerns about perceived loopholes in the policy, particularly that carbon credits from outside the scheme can be bought to permit effectively unlimited emissions. Conservation groups, many of whom are keen to see the policy pass with changes, have suggested options like limiting the use of carbon credits, requiring companies to exhaust other options to reduce emissions first, and legislating caps on emissions to provide certainty. Greens Senator Peter Whish-Wilson said the party would need to be convinced the safeguard mechanism would do the job it was promising.

EDIT

https://www.abc.net.au/news/2023-03-20/climate-deal-greens-government-business-groups-deal/102117824

"Safeguard Mechanism" -