Energy

Climate change is a global challenge, requiring a long-term solution in order to avoid environmental, social and economic dislocation. Shifting towards a low-carbon future requires more than policies and regulations – it requires development of new approaches within existing business systems and increased awareness among individuals. For Australia, climate change has become a major issue. Although direct emissions from the agriculture, forestry and fishing sector have significantly declined since 1990, Australia’s total emissions continue to rise, primarily driven by the resources boom and strong economic growth.

Despite the growing awareness of climate change and the need to reduce Australia’s emissions intensity in recent years, politicians have yet to achieve consensus on the issue. In 2007, the Government, led by (the then) Prime Minister Kevin Rudd, proposed a Carbon Pollution Reduction Scheme, a cap-and-trade scheme intended to cut Australia’s greenhouse gas emissions by 5 per cent over ten years. The proposed scheme received much attention at the time, but was defeated three times in Australia’s Senate. Following the election of Julia Gillard as Prime Minister in 2010, the Government announced its plans to introduce a fixed carbon price from mid 2012, before moving to a full emissions-trading scheme in 2015.

For the Australian food and beverage, grocery and fresh produce processing sector with a reported turnover of $108 billion in 2009, the direct impact of the proposed scheme is likely to be small. However, contributions throughout the supply chain means the potential impacts need to be broadly considered and assessed. AFGC and AT Kearney developed a report (see link below) that examines the potential impacts of the proposed scheme on the industry across the entire supply chain, including the impact on operating costs and competitiveness. Approaches and frameworks are also provided for companies to assess the impacts on their own business and prepare themselves for the changes going forward.

Carbon Compass

Carbon Compass is a free online meeting place for Victorian businesses to share their sustainability secrets and gain practical advice on how to lower their emissions. It is an initiative from VECCI and Carbon Down that is dedicated to helping businesses find the right resources, information and solutions to implement sustainable business practices and navigate the low-carbon economy.

Carbon Compass is a web-based community of businesses and government organisations that benefit from sharing their carbon, climate change and sustainability solutions with each other. Membership is free. 

For more information, visit www.carboncompass.com.au