Will New PM deal with Climate change?

Australia has a new Prime Minister and for the first time a female one – Julia Gillard – giving many in business and the community greater hope that this could mean Government gets the emissions trading scheme up and running immediately, as well as finalises the controversial Super Mining Tax. Dropping the climate change ball and the CPRS is seen in by most (including the latest Galaxy poll) as the biggest single reason for the rapid loss of appeal for Kevin Rudd. Good  to see that climate change is back at the top of the political agenda and is also the focus of many conferences coming up here and abroad, as we set out in this issue. Business schools and global businesses increasingly accept the reality of climate change and the need to put sustainability top and centre. Adaptation to climate change is also a new reality as the first international conference comes to the Gold Coast next week, while Munich Re reminds the world that more extreme weather is on the cards, as severe floods hit France, Brazil and China. Global climate scientist Stephen Schneider is back in town and in profile, while the World Bank and APEC show what’s possible in the switch to a low carbon economy and towards clean energy. The oil industry comes under increasingly pressure and Kevin Costner comes in with a clean up act in the Gulf of Mexico. Electric vehicles refuse to go away, and ecospecifier takes the centre stage at the big Design Build show with its Green Tag. Confirmation that 97% of climate scientists agree that humans are largely responsible for climate change. In the Lucky Last slot we hear from Florida solar energy advocate Barbara Young. – Ken Hickson