Reports from the UK suggest Germany, France, Belgium, the Netherlands, Luxembourg, Denmark, Sweden, Ireland and the UK governments are to build a €30 billion super-grid to link renewable resources. This announcement comes ahead of the UK Government's €100 bn announcement of offshore wind energy development. See http://tinyurl.com/yg8bvqt

The LA Times is reporting that many sustainability officers are moving into senior executive positions once dominated by innovation and diversity specialists. 

Govt to consult with industry on ETS allocations

Adding Transparency To Charitable Giving

Report overview

-- Today Cisco released its fifth annual Cisco(R) Corporate Social Responsibility (CSR) Report.

-- The 2009 Corporate Social Responsibility Report shows how Cisco's CSR activities align with its business strategy and support its long-term sustainability.

-- The report covers Cisco's corporate governance, environmental governance and practices, employee engagements, social investments, and charitable giving programs. This year it also includes a new section on Cisco's customer value chain.

-- Cisco's CSR commitments are focused primarily on strategic programs and partnerships that support Cisco's corporate values, promote positive social change to underserved communities, and take advantage of the core competencies of its employees and business.

-- This year's report places particular emphasis on enhancing its

readability and user experience in innovative ways. The report:

-- Provides an interactive overview of its global CSR activities to give a regional context for its CSR performance.

-- Incorporates videos that provide first-person perspectives on the local benefits to communities.

-- Explores ways in which social media (Web 2.0) might help improve the dialogue between Cisco and its stakeholders.

Highlights / Key Facts:

-- Networked Web 2.0 and collaborative technologies are transforming the work environment, business operations, and delivery of corporate social responsibilities at Cisco. Technological advancements offer tremendous opportunities to make a positive change in how companies approach business, economic and societal challenges.

-- Cisco recognizes that the application of technology alone will not result in a drop in emissions, and that technology has to be coupled with changes in culture, management practices and business processes in order to achieve its full potential. Cisco aims to reduce its business air travel greenhouse-gas emissions worldwide by 10 percent absolute (against a FY2006

baseline) and to reduce all Scope 1, 2, and business air travel Scope 3 GHG emissions worldwide by 25 percent absolute by CY2012 (CY2007 baseline).

-- Cisco Smart Grid solutions are one example of how energy can be managed with a high degree of security on electrical grids, from generation to consumption, to make homes and buildings more productive and economical.

-- Cisco demonstrates commitment to giving by contributing $128.6 million corporate-wide as well as partnering with governments, non-governmental organizations, and other companies to maximize monetary investments 10-fold.

-- Cisco closely works with partners to instill quality and reliability

in the value chain. By reducing carbon emissions, waste production, and natural resource demand in FY09, Cisco's Global Value Chain Management group realized more than $12 million in annual cost savings by applying sustainable practices and manufacturing efficiencies.

-- Education is a catalyst that produces the entrepreneurs, technologists, thinkers, knowledge workers, teachers, and leaders who collectively make it possible for economies and individuals to prosper. The Cisco Networking Academy(R) is the company's largest corporate social responsibility (CSR) education program, offering 14 courses to more than 800,000 students in FY09. To date, Cisco has invested more than $350 million in the program.

-- Cisco uses several tools to gather employee feedback including the annual Pulse Survey, a confidential poll administered online to employees globally. In 2009, 90 percent of employees agreed that Cisco is a great place to work, up from 86 percent in 2008.

-- In November 2008, Cisco launched the Cisco LifeConnections Center, an integrated childcare, medical center, and fitness facility at its headquarters in San Jose, California.

DRAFT CPRS AND RET REGULATIONS RELEASED

The Rudd Government today released updated draft regulations for the Carbon Pollution Reduction Scheme (CPRS).

The updated regulations include the second group of activities to be eligible for assistance under the emissions intensive, trade exposed (EITE) assistance program.

The Government has also today released draft regulations to deliver partial exemptions from Renewable Energy Target (RET) liability to all activities that would qualify for the EITE assistance under the CPRS.

The Government is seeking feedback from stakeholders on the draft CPRS and RET regulations by Monday 11 January 2010.

Carbon Pollution Reduction Scheme regulations

The updated draft EITE regulations include the following new activities that have been assessed as eligible for EITE assistance: aluminium smelting, alumina refining, cartonboard manufacturing, dry pulp manufacturing, high purity ethanol production, integrated lead and zinc production, magnesia production, packaging and industrial paper manufacturing, tissue paper manufacturing and printing and writing paper manufacturing.

The draft EITE regulations released today also take into account comments made by stakeholders in submissions on the first draft of these regulations in June 2009.

The three key changes that have been made in the revised draft regulations are: the inclusion of a universal ‘true-up’ mechanism to more closely align permit allocations with production levels in each year; amendments to provisions relating to large electricity user certificates; and the inclusion of a provision to ensure that permits are not provided in excess of an entity’s direct and indirect emissions costs under the CPRS.

The draft regulations and commentary as well as the accompanying explanatory paper are available on the Department of Climate Change website at www.climatechange.gov.au

The Government remains committed to providing certainty to entities regarding the free permit allocations they would receive under the CPRS as early as possible.

The Government encourages firms conducting potential EITE activities to submit audited data to the Government as soon as possible so that the eligibility of their activity can be assessed. The Government will endeavour to make and announce decisions on the eligibility of the remaining EITE activities within 8 weeks of the receipt of audited data from all Australian entities conducting a given activity.

Renewable Energy Target regulations

The draft Renewable Energy Target (RET) regulations reflect the Government’s policy to provide assistance to eligible EITE activities for the additional cost impacts of the expansion of the RET.

The approach to determining partial exemptions under the RET is consistent with that applying under CPRS EITE assistance program where practicable, using information provided through that program’s reporting processes.

The draft regulations and accompanying commentary, along with details of the consultation process, are also available on the Department of Climate Change website at www.climatechange.gov.au

First Industry-specific Roadmap Examines Emissions Reductions in Cement Industry

A roadmap published by the World Business Council for Sustainable Development (WBCSD) and the International Energy Agency (IEA) calls for strong national policies to activate known CO2 mitigation actions that the sector can take now.

EPA: Greenhouse Gases Threaten Public Health and the Environment

Science overwhelmingly shows greenhouse gas concentrations at unprecedented levels due to human activity

WASHINGTON – After a thorough examination of the scientific evidence and careful consideration of public comments, the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) announced today that greenhouse gases (GHGs) threaten the public health and welfare of the American people. EPA also finds that GHG emissions from on-road vehicles contribute to that threat. 

I acknowledge the First Australians on whose land we meet, and whose cultures we celebrate as among the oldest continuing cultures in human history.

I also acknowledge the excellent work of everyone involved with White Ribbon Day, particularly the White Ribbon Ambassadors here today, in raising the profile of the battle to end violence against women and children.

PRIME MINISTER the HON KEVIN RUDD MP

TREASURER

the HON WAYNE SWAN MP

MINISTER FOR CLIMATE CHANGE

SENATOR THE HON PENNY WONG

MINISTER ASSISTING THE MINISTER FOR CLIMATE CHANGE

tHE HON GREG COMBET MP

24 November 2009

A CARBON POLLUTION REDUCTION SCHEME IN THE NATIONAL INTEREST

Australia has today moved a step closer to action on climate change, after the Rudd Government this morning delivered a deal to the Opposition aimed at securing the passage of the Carbon Pollution Reduction Scheme this week.

The package is the culmination of over a month of detailed negotiations between the Government and the Opposition, and over a decade of policy development.

COMMONWEALTH PROVIDES 10.8 BILLION LITRES OF WATER FOR NEW SOUTH WALES RIVERS AND WETLANDS

The Commonwealth has allocated 10.8 billion litres of water to 13 environmental sites in New South Wales (NSW), including wetlands in the Murray, Murrumbidgee and Macquarie valleys.

ENVIRONMENTAL WATER TO PROTECT ICONIC RIVER RED GUMS

An extra eight billion litres of water will be released to internationally significant wetlands along the Murray River to assist threatened river red gums and provide drought relief for wetland dependent species.

Environment and Climate Change Minister Gavin Jennings said the water, released through the Living Murray program, will flow into Lindsay and Wallpolla Islands, Gunbower Forest and Barmah Forest prior to summer this year and during autumn 2010.

TRANSCRIPT OF INTERVIEW WITH JON FAINE, ABC 774 MELBOURNE

SUBJECT: CARBON POLLUTION REDUCTION SCHEME, AGRICULTURE, COPENHAGEN

E & O E – PROOF ONLY

JOURNALIST: Penny Wong is the Minister for Climate Change in the Rudd Government. Senator Wong, good morning.

WONG: Good morning Jon

JOURNALIST: We have just heard from Senator Xenophon, your fellow South Australian Senator, saying he is opposed to the compromises that you’re negotiating so far. How on the one hand can you keep the Greens and Senator Xenophon happy and on the other hand the sceptics and the Opposition?

WONG: Well I am not sure I can keep everyone happy Jon and I am not approaching these negotiations trying to do that. I am approaching these negotiations trying to get an outcome that is in Australia’s interests. That means having a scheme that is effective and that passes the Parliament. Otherwise we will continue to simply have a theoretical discussion about this issue when we know what we need is concrete action on climate change.

JOURNALIST: Is a flawed scheme better than no scheme at all?

WONG: Well I think flaws are always in the eyes of the beholder, aren’t they? And there are some who want us to go greener, there are some who want us to go less green, and people have very different views about what the best way forward is. Right from the start the Government and certainly me, I personally, have taken the view that we have to look at what is the best thing for Australia. Look at this scheme recognising it is going to be around for a great many years and understanding that we have to provide support for Australian firms during the transition to a low pollution economy. We have to get action on climate change. We focused very much on what we believe is in the national interest. There is going to be a lot of debate, there has been to-date and there will be after this week as well. But we need to focus on doing what we said we would do which is to take action on climate change and that means passing this scheme before the end of the fortnight.

NZ Governments Energy efficiency stocktake

Note although not an A&NZSustain Event this is very highly recommended