People speak up for carbon reduction, business keeps quiet
The latest Newspoll showed that 88% of Australians wanted to see a carbon reduction scheme, with 61% saying it should happen regardless of what other countries did, while a survey of the largest 300 listed companies found that only 28% provided any information on “policies or practices that have been undertaken to reduce greenhouse gases”.
A clear majority, 58 per cent, said they would be prepared to pay more for energy as a result of a carbon trading scheme, although 50 per cent of Coalition voters were against paying more for petrol, electricity and gas.
Reserve Bank governor Glenn Stevens said an emissions trading scheme would not result in higher interest rates, provided the costs, beyond the initial start-up, were relatively small. He said the initial suggestion had been that a $20-a-tonne price on carbon would lift the consumer price index by 0.9 per cent.
Half of Australia’s biggest companies are failing to provide public information about their environmental or greenhouse policies, according to research on company disclosure.
The lack of disclosure is denying shareholders information that will become vital when an emissions trading scheme is introduced, and is also limiting the commercial opportunities available to companies among today’s environmentally aware public. A survey (by Grant Thornton) of the largest 300 companies listed on the ASX found that only 28% provided any information on “policies or practices that have been undertaken to reduce greenhouse gases”.
Technorati Tags: carbon, carbon reduction, business, business keeps quiet, Newspoll, Australia, global warming
Save Money with Simple and Effective Management SystemsJean Cannon is an award winning consultant and trainer helping people and businesses around the world who want to save money by implementing simple and effective management systems. Sign up to discover how YOU can save money with sensible energy management and ISO 14001.
