http://www.abc.net.au/news/2012-08-21/more-countries-set-to-adopt-carbon-price/4211572

 

The Climate Commission has released its third major report, saying international efforts to tackle climate change are accelerating rapidly.

 

The expert Commission was set up by the Federal Government last year and says its remit is to "provide all Australians with an independent and reliable source of information" about climate change, action on greenhouse gas emissions, and the carbon price.

Its latest report, subtitled 'The Critical Decade' and released today, says nearly 850 million people in 33 countries will soon be living in economies with a carbon price or similar arrangement.

Read the full report on the Climate Commission website here

Commissioner and economist Robert Beale says Australia is still the developed world's biggest per-capita carbon emitter "by quite a way".

Overall the Climate Commission says Australia is the world's 15th biggest emitter.

But the commissioners say they are surprised by how quickly the world is taking action to curb carbon emissions.

Chief commissioner Professor Tim Flannery says the report proves the global approach to energy has changed for good.

"It's the beginning I think of an irreversible shift," he said.

"We are moving to a clean energy future. We may not be moving fast enough, but this report confirms to me at least very clearly that the world is moving."

Professor Flannery says that by next year, carbon taxes and similar schemes will be widely used around the world.

"There's about 33 countries around the world with some sort of carbon pricing scheme in place now covering about 850 million people - that's almost one in seven people on the planet," he said.

"It's what the economists tell us is a very cost effective way of dealing with the problems."

Renewable energy costs falling

Mr Beale refused to comment on Coalition criticisms that the Government's carbon tax was a much bigger impost than overseas schemes and would disadvantage Australian business.

"We're not a political body, I don't want to comment about what any party says," he said.

The report says the cost of renewable energy continues to fall, and countries like China and Germany are investing heavily.

"Global investment in renewable power and fuels has increased six-fold since 2004, standing at $257 billion in 2011. Meanwhile costs of renewable energy are dropping faster than expected. The cost of producing solar photovoltaic cells has dropped 75 per cent in the past four years and 45 per cent in the past 12 months," it says.

The commissioners say Australia should up its investment in new generating technologies, or risk falling behind.

"Australia is the sunniest country in the world and one of the windiest, we are lucky to have some of the best renewable resources in the world," Professor Flannery said.

"Action on climate change will help unlock those resources. Yet we are a late starter. Our worst solar resources are equivalent to some of Germany's best. But Germany is a world leader in installed solar while Australia is lagging behind."

Flannery hits back

Professor Flannery has come under intense criticism in recent months for a number of incorrect predictions.

But he says the attacks on his credibility have not interfered with his job of communicating climate change.

"I think I would have been much less miserable if I hadn't done it, so you've got to get out there and do what you can," he said.

"So I'm very very proud of having played that role.

"I think there's certain people that are always trying to distract, you know, there's certain lobbyists who are always trying to distract people, and one way they do it is play the man and not the ball ... don't deal with the facts but deal with other issues.

"But we've come through that and I think increasingly Australians are hearing the facts on climate change and I think the Climate Commission's been an important part of that."