Australia Country Study

The key theme underpinning this report is that the dependence of the Australian economy on the mining and minerals industries and on low cost energy has been the critical influence on the Australian approach to climate change policy. The Commonwealth government has emphasised the importance of no regrets approaches and has relied heavily on voluntary approaches – in particular, its Greenhouse Challenge programme – as a central element of policy directed at reducing greenhouse gas emissions from Australian business. This report analyses the Greenhouse Challenge in the context of Australia’s overall climate change policies and assesses the potential contribution of such programmes to delivering on the significant reductions in greenhouse gas emissions that are likely to be required to stabilise atmospheric greenhouse gas emissions in the range 450-500 ppm.