[LINK] eTrading in Carbon Makes Progress - Elsewhere

[Roger Clarke]

There are few countries in the world bigger in economic terms than 
the State of California.  (It's 8th, after Italy, and ahead of 
Brazil, Canada, Spain, India and Russia.  Australia is 13th of the 
200).

On Friday, the State of California finalised its carbon trading 
scheme, modelled on the EU scheme and taking advantage of the Kyoto 
protocols.

It will begin operations progressively, starting in 2012, and 
applying to the worst-polluting industrial facilities from 2013.

If the Liberal Party had not been the disastrous mess that it is, 
Australia would have had a scheme in place as well.  As it is, we're 
about to get a badly-compromised interim carbon tax, which will lead 
to a badly-compromised carbon trading scheme maybe later this decade.

So Australia is 4-5 years behind California, and a full decade behind Europe.  

There are even signs that China (which is still, remember, a 
developing nation that's expected to make a mess of its society and 
its environment while it chases economic growth) may get there before 
we do.


Cart J. (2011) 'California becomes first state to adopt cap-and-trade 
program' Los Angeles Times, 21 October 2011, at 
http://www.latimes.com/news/local/la-me-cap-trade-20111021,0,1125437.story


-- 
Roger Clarke                                 http://www.rogerclarke.com/
			            
Xamax Consultancy Pty Ltd      78 Sidaway St, Chapman ACT 2611 AUSTRALIA
                    Tel: +61 2 6288 1472, and 6288 6916
mailto:Roger.Clarke at xamax.com.au                http://www.xamax.com.au/

Visiting Professor in the Cyberspace Law & Policy Centre      Uni of NSW
Visiting Professor in Computer Science    Australian National University