[Greens-Media] MRET critical to meeting emissions reduction targets - Greens

[Bennett, Ebony (Sen B. Brown)]

Thursday, 7 August 2008

MRET critical to meeting emissions reduction targets - Greens

The Australian Greens today backed calls to maintain the mandatory
renewable energy target and reject the reported advice of the Wilkins
Review and the Productivity Commission to scrap the scheme.

"It is quite clear that an emission trading scheme will not, on its own,
be sufficient to stimulate adequate investment in renewable energy,"
Senator Christine Milne, Australian Greens spokesperson for Climate
Change said today.

"As recognised by Professor Garnaut, achieving any reasonable greenhouse
emission target will require supplementary policies, including the
renewable energy target and feed-in laws to kick-start the renewable
energy sector."  

"However, the Government's inadequate target of reducing emissions by
60% by 2050 remains the central problem in this whole debate. If
Australia adopts emission targets that would actually give us a chance
of avoiding catastrophic climate change, such as the Greens' target of
40% cuts by 2020, heading towards zero net emissions by 2050 at the
latest, then the need for urgent investment in renewable energy becomes
a no-brainer," Senator Milne said.

Further information: Tim Hollo 0437 587 562