This paper briefly places the contribution of mining into the context of the wider economy, and focuses on the impact of coal mining on both natural and agricultural areas of NSW. The minerals industry is NSW’s largest export industry, accounting for export revenue of $11.1 billion in 2006-07, which is 39% of total NSW exports...

Biofuels are fuels made from renewable biological feedstocks, either crops or waste. There are two main biofuels with commercial prospects in Australia: ethanol and biodiesel. These biofuels currently comprise less than 0.4% of the Australian automotive gasoline market. This briefing paper outlines the current use of ethanol and biodiesel fuels in Australia, and NSW specificially...

Significant challenges are confronting the petroleum and transport industry, both domestically and internationally. The first of these is tight supplies of crude oil, coupled with a growing market base of emerging economies. The second is the necessity to reduce greenhouse gas emissions to prevent dangerous climate change. This paper focuses on the former issue, and...

This paper considers the problems facing transport policy in large cities. As the world’s cities have become home to the vast majority of their national population, governments are faced with the challenge of providing transport infrastructure to accommodate the needs of their citizens. In many of the world’s largest cities, the majority of travel is...

The current debate in Australia about greenhouse gas emissions trading must be seen within the international context of the work of the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change. This paper reviews greenhouse gas emissions trading, with particular emphasis on the European Union Emissions Trading Scheme and proposals for Australia.