Australian Climate Roundtable: Business, union, environmental, investor and welfare groups form unusual coalition on climate policy

http://www.abc.net.au/news/2015-06-29/australian-climate-roundtable-business-unions-policy-alliance/6579106

By business editor Peter Ryan
June 28, 2015

An unprecedented alliance of business, union, environmental, investor and welfare groups has been formed to forge what it sees as urgent common ground on climate policy.

The highly unusual coalition — to be branded the Australian Climate Roundtable — comes as developed nations gear up for the Paris Climate Conference in December, where leaders will be under pressure to update their strategies for dealing with climate change.

While Australia's main political parties support the international goal of limiting climate change to less than 2 degrees Celsius above pre-industrial levels, the alliance warns the objective will require "deep global reductions".

The high-profile members cover some influential employer and industry lobby groups, such as the Australian Industry (Ai) Group, the Business Council of Australia (BCA), the Australian Aluminium Council, the Energy Supply Association and the Investor Group on Climate Change.

They will be joined by groups at the opposite end of the political and economic spectrum — the Australian Conservation Foundation (ACF), WWF Australia, the Australian Council of Social Service, the Australian Council of Trade Unions (ACTU) and the Climate Institute.

In a statement, the Roundtable warned emissions reductions on the necessary scale would require "substantial change "and present "significant challenges" in Australia and other developed nations.

"We believe Australia should play its fair part in global efforts to avoid the serious economic, social and environmental impacts that unconstrained climate change would have on Australia," the statement said.

In a warning to the Federal Government, the group said "delayed, unpredictable and piecemeal action will increase the costs and challenges of achieving the goals and maximising the opportunities".

"We also know that policies won't work if they don't last and stay on investors' radars," the statement said.

"The foundations of climate policy need broad and durable support, and we all have a role in building it."

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Highlighting the social risks of climate policy and climate change, the Roundtable said climate policy must also:

protect the most vulnerable individuals;
avoid disproportionate impacts on low-income households; and
assist communities that are vulnerable to economic shocks or physical risks as a result of climate change or climate policy.

The united agreement from often distant parties on climate policy goals is significant, according to BCA chief executive Jennifer Westacott.

"There is now overwhelming common ground on the need for a more certain and meaningful approach to emissions reduction," Ms Westacott said.

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ACF chief executive Kelly O'Shanassy described it as "an unlikely alliance, but we've come together because the challenge of tackling global warming is bigger than any of our differences".

"Among the things we have in common is a shared goal for Australia to cut its net greenhouse pollution to zero or below," she said.

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