A national emissions trading scheme based on scientifically established reduction targets is the most comprehensive way to tackle the challenge of bringing down Australia's emissions, according to the WA Sustainable Energy Association Inc. (WA SEA), Australia's largest state-based business chamber for the sustainable energy industry.

‘WA SEA is an industry chamber supporting market-based solutions to grow sustainable energy,' says Prof. Ray Wills, WA SEA Chief Executive and Adjunct Professor with The University of Western Australia.

‘Any business group interested in an economically efficient means of dealing with emissions supports market-based approaches, and an emissions trading system is that and more,' says Prof Wills.

‘Emissions trading systems have been used around the world to effectively broker changes in industry practice, and demonstrated to be both more economically efficient and also environmentally effective than other means.'

‘A key is that market design must be based on open and transparent transactions to ensure both monitoring and compliance costs are minimised.'

‘While direct incentives for change to both the domestic and commercial markets to reduce emissions via both energy efficiency and procurement of lower emissions energy are important measures that should be included in any design to maximise change, a trading system is singularly the most sensible strategic economic measure to broker a more sustainable economy,' says Prof Wills.

Read More

Power outages in Perth yesterday and today during peak demand, reported problems of coal mining contract deliveries, problems of oil leaks polluting the environment, and gas supply problems from the North West Shelf twice creating an energy generation crisis for Perth and the south-west in recent years, underscores the need for more urgent action to create diversified generation capacity in the state, according to the Western Australian Sustainable Energy Association Inc. (WA SEA).

"The key is ensuring a diversity of energy supply for electricity production. Over-reliance on one or two sources of supply is not wise. If we had moved faster in the past decade to commission a variety of new renewable energy projects across Western Australia, coal contracts and gas outages would undoubtedly be of less concern," says Prof Ray Wills, Chief Executive of WA SEA.

"Critics of renewable energy not prepared to broker change in energy generation have said renewable energy comes with risks of supply. I suggest these risks are no greater than we are experiencing in the supply of energy from fossil fuels, and arguably less risky because of renewable energy projects can be placed close to the point of consumption, reducing the need for long transmission wires in remote places."

"Non-renewable sources will all eventually fail, but renewable energy will continue to shine on us, to wash up on our shores, and to blow past us - without cost, without exploding, without leaking, and without a pre-purchase agreement for resource delivery required for energy generation."

"The Barnett Government must act quickly, and resolve to aggressively invest in a variety of renewable generation spread across regional and rural Western Australia - investing in a diversity of projects including additional wind farms, ramping up biomass and biogas production for electricity, actually committing to harvest the wealth of solar energy in the state using both solar thermal and photovoltaic technology, and fast-tracking the development of our wave and geothermal resources."

For example, the Barnett Government's $80 million grants scheme for mining exploration is a valuable program to support the economic development of the State. WA SEA believes the State should be spending a similar amount on exploration and development of the State's renewable energy resources, ensuring the sustainability of WA's economy.

"WA SEA has been calling on the State Government to move more rapidly on bolstering distributed generation through the south-west, and the coming May 2010 budget must offer significant change from the business as usual model of government. We need action, to tap the energy source that will be dominant in the 21st Century - renewable energy that will deliver on both energy security and on reducing our greenhouse gas emissions" says Prof Wills.

"Our state must ramp up use of Western Australia's massive renewable energy resource."

Read More

The latest analysis from the Bureau of Meteorology, showing Australia has experienced the warmest decade since records started in 1910, reaffirms the solid evidence on climate change and a warming planet, and the political game playing and delays that overshadows the reason for action on climate change needs to stop, says Prof. Ray Wills, Chief Executive of the Western Australian Sustainable Energy Association Inc. (WA SEA), and Adjunct Professor with The University of Western Australia.

‘Global temperatures are rising - its been measured, it is a fact. Science has established that the cause of rising global temperatures is human-induced climate change.'

The inconvenient truth is now an undeniable truth.

‘'Strong and immediate action is required to stop the growth in world emissions and rapidly start the process of reducing emissions to a scientifically established level. Science tells us that we must quickly bring atmospheric CO2 concentrations back below 350 ppm if we are to avoid dangerous climate change,' says Prof Wills.

‘Fixing climate change and acting on greenhouse gas emissions fuelling the increasing pace of global warming is essential for the health of the planet, the welfare of the community, and in the best interests of the world economy,' says Prof Wills.

‘In other words, climate change is real, the impacts are already proving dire and will only get worse, humans are causing it, and we need to stop,' says Prof Wills.

Read More

Copenhagen is a qualified success, according to the Western Australian Sustainable Energy Association (WA SEA).

‘The conference here in Copenhagen has actually made progress toward a foundation of a climate treaty that will limit global warming from dangerous climate change to below two degrees, albeit that deal has yet to be legally binding,' says Prof Ray Wills, Chief Executive of WA SEA.

‘What is good for the community is good for business, and fixing climate change and acting on greenhouse gas emissions fuelling the increasing pace of global warming is essential for the health of the planet, the welfare of the community, and so in the best interests of the world economy', says Prof Wills.

‘The businesses that attended as observers at Copenhagen are ready for action, want market certainty to drive investment are anxious for firm decisions by Governments and needed commitments to real action that creates change in the way the planet does business and delivers more sustainable business practices.'

‘And also world action on climate change is bigger than just Copenhagen and commitments made by nations in the UN lead Conference of Parties. There are also other agreements from Bali that hold, and the workings of sub-national governments and their agencies, including the united action of reportedly almost 3500 cities and local governments.'

‘Further, private dollars are already being invested now with large amounts being invested by business,' says Prof Wills.

‘And ambitions independent of climate change are causing countries working on their energy security to make decisions about energy generation that is also emissions free.'

'Strong and immediate action is required to stop the growth in world emissions and rapidly start the process of reducing emissions to a scientifically established level. Science tells us that we must quickly bring atmospheric CO2 concentrations back below 350 ppm if we are to avoid dangerous climate change.'

Read More

While Copenhagen teeters on the edge of being declared an ambition free zone, the Western Australian Premier, Colin Barnett, should celebrate his tenth anniversary of ambitious leadership in renewable energy, according to the Western Australian Sustainable Energy Association (WA SEA).

As the world's nations meet in Copenhagen for the 15th UN Climate Change Conference of Parties (COP15), politicians have so far failed to respond to the concerns of their constituents and endorse a strong response from all world Governments.

In a press release ten years ago dated 18 December 1999, Mr Barnett said "the State Government already had a strong commitment to the development of renewable energy sources, with solar, wind, hydro and landfill power generation projects operating around the State."

Mr Barnett's press release of ten years ago also announced the progress of the 20 MW Albany wind farm, which when commissioned in 2001 was for several years Australia's largest wind farm.

Commenting from Copenhagen, Prof Ray Wills, Chief Executive of WA SEA, said ‘businesses here at Copenhagen are ready for action, want market certainty to drive investment, but we are all still waiting for firm decisions by Governments.'

‘The Premier one decade on has a unique opportunity to continue his support for renewable energy in Western Australia and, together with Energy Minister Peter Collier, positions the State to harvest its massive renewable energy resources and build a more sustainable Western Australian economy,' says Prof Wills.

Read More

Dangerous climate change induced by global warming must be averted, and the only way to do this is to move to stronger targets that reflect the increasingly worsening outlook coming from the latest scientific reports, according to the Western Australian Sustainable Energy Association (WA SEA).

As the world's nations meet in Copenhagen for the 15th UN Climate Change Conference of Parties (COP15), it is essential that politicians hear the concerns of their constituents and endorse a strong response from all world Governments on behalf of their people.

‘What is good for the community is good for business, and fixing climate change and acting on greenhouse gas emissions fuelling the increasing pace of global warming is essential for the health of the planet, the welfare of the community, and so in the best interests of the world economy', says Prof Ray Wills, Chief Executive of WA SEA.

‘The conference in Copenhagen must lay the foundation for a legally binding climate treaty, a treaty that commits to real action, creating change in the way the planet does business and delivers more sustainable business practices,' says Prof Wills.

‘Many in the business community are ready for action, all want market certainty to drive investment but most are still waiting for firm decisions by Governments.'

There is no major corporation in the world (with the notable exception of one particular oil company) that disputes the basis of the science, and every major corporation on the planet is making some response to climate change, albeit for a small minority, that action will delay any solution.

‘Copenhagen must not be remembered as Carbonhaven,' says Prof Wills.

‘Strong and immediate action is required to stop the growth in world emissions and start the process of reducing emissions to a scientifically established level.'

From Copenhagen

Read More

Members of the Western Australian Sustainable Energy Association (WA SEA) are part of a contingent of Australian business leaders heading to Copenhagen to join 192 official country delegations gathering in Copenhagen for the 15th UN Climate Change Conference of Parties (COP15).

WA SEA members from Perth attending COP15 include the Hon. Cheryl Edwardes, Special Counsel with Minter Ellison Lawyers; Prof Paul Hardisty, Executive Director, EcoNomics, Sustainability with WorleyParsons; Vanessa Rauland of Curtin University's Sustainability Policy (CUSP) Institute; Peter Tickler, Principal of Greensense; and Prof Ray Wills, Chief Executive of WA SEA.

Prof Wills will be one of 50 CEOs and leaders to speak at the exclusive global business forum CLIMATE SPARK (www.climatespark.com) during COP15.

A selection of comments from the delegates:

• ‘The conference in Copenhagen must lay the foundation for a legally binding climate treaty, a treaty that commits to real action, creating change in the way the planet does business and delivers more sustainable business practices' - Prof Ray Wills, Chief Executive of WA SEA.
• ‘Attending the conference will let us hear what world leaders and industry leaders are saying and doing and help Australian industries to better understand and respond to the global challenges,' - Hon. Cheryl Edwardes, Special Counsel with Minter Ellison Lawyers.
• ‘Like most people, I would like to see sanity prevail, and the world agree to investing in an insurance policy for the planet and for the future of my children, for everyone's children,' - Prof Paul Hardisty Executive Director, EcoNomics, Sustainability, WorleyParsons.

WA Sustainable Energy Association Inc. (WA SEA) Media Release - 7 December 2009

Read More