Flannery for Environmental Sustainability & Fast-tracking CPRS

Panasonic is funding environmental research and public education with the appointment of the newly-created Panasonic Chair in Environmental Sustainability at Macquarie University, Professor Tim Flannery. The former Australian of the Year, Professor Tim Flannery told delegates at the Climate Adaptation Futures conference on Queensland’s Gold Coast that it is vital a carbon pollution reduction scheme (CPRS) is introduced.

By Russell Varley on ABC News (30 June 2010):

Former Australian of the Year, Professor Tim Flannery, has told delegates at the Climate Adaptation Futures conference on Queensland’s Gold Coast that it is vital a carbon pollution reduction scheme (CPRS) is introduced.

Federal Climate Change Minister Penny Wong has called for scientists to help build a consensus for a price on carbon but Professor Flannery says the Government must also argue the case.

“The Government can’t have its policy formed in my view by a rump of an Opposition,” he said.

“I mean this is a Howard government policy for a start – it was supported by the Opposition for a long time and now the Liberal Party is in the hands of people who are on Mars as far as climate change goes.

“We shouldn’t let that put us off.”

Professor Flannery says the Greens helped defeat the CPRS legislation and do not seem to understand it would have delivered a 26 per cent reduction in admissions over a decade.

“So that’s a quarter, imagine cutting your own emissions by a quarter,” he said.

“It gives you a sense of how big that job is so it was an ambitious scheme.

“Sure the Government mishandled it – it probably gave away too much taxpayers’ money.

“But that shouldn’t blind us to the fact that that won’t affect at all the power of this scheme to reduce emissions.”

He says the Federal Government should campaign with the CPRS during the next election.

He says he doubts adaptation measures can work effectively without a CPRS.

“If we don’t get the CPRS in place there is a risk that adaptation will become just unmanageable,” he said.

“The changes will be so big we won’t be able to adapt.

“That’s really the bottom line – we need both but we definitely need that price on carbon sooner rather than later.”

Source: www.abc.net.au

By Ty Pendlebury on Cnet (25 June 2010):

Panasonic has announced today it will be funding environmental research and public education with the appointment of the newly-created Panasonic Chair in Environmental Sustainability at Macquarie University, Professor Tim Flannery.

Panasonic Australia has pledged AU$690,000 over three years to support the initiative, which is part of what the company calls the “Green Revolution”.

“There has never been a more pressing need for cutting-edge environmental research and education, and we are pleased to be able to lend our support to Macquarie University,” said Steve Rust, managing director of Panasonic Australia.

Professor Flannery will be tasked with presenting a whitepaper to Panasonic executives in Japan on emerging consumer attitudes towards environmental products later this year.

“For me, the advantage of working with a company like Panasonic is that their ambitions are in the right place and they’re trying to work towards ever-more-efficient goods,” Flannery said.

Flannery is a scientist, broadcaster and author who recently worked as the chairman of Copenhagen Climate Council aimed at reducing global greenhouse emissions.

Source: www.cnet.com.au