Looking at the nature of the climate change challenge, the economics of adaptation and emission reduction and New Zealand’s policy responses, this paper outlines economic perspectives to help guide a more efficient policy response.

Australia’s current climate policy suite currently appears poised to continue recent trends and risks Australia’s ability to credibly meet its climate targets. If the Australian government wants to credibly reduce Australia’s emissions by 43 per cent by 2030, the authors of this paper argue that...

In this report, the authors set out an assessment of the state of global science around offsets, and also examine the impact of the Australian government’s proposed changes for the country’s industrial emitters.

The purpose of this review was to ensure Australian Carbon Credit Units and the carbon crediting framework and regulatory standards maintain a strong and credible reputation supported by participants, purchasers and the broader community.

Australia’s Climate Change Authority (CCA) is again playing an influential role in Australian climate policy, following its long hibernation under the previous federal government. This report argues that the CCA’s focus on carbon offsets is inappropriate, given that offsetting is usually considered to be the...

Recently, foreign direct investment (FDI) in renewable energy has been on a rising trend, while FDI activity in fossil fuels has started showing some signs of a possible slowdown. Although the changing geopolitical context might have implications for the development of these trends, the findings...

Climate policy has entered a new era, as public investment increasingly moves to centre stage. While essential for decarbonisation, public investment is not enough—the carrots of investment need to go hand in hand with regulatory sticks. This paper advances our understanding of how to tie...

This report asserts that an embedded (or embodied) carbon ‘base case’ should be included in all business cases for infrastructure projects and programs in Australia over $100 million in capital cost.

This is the Climate Change Commission’s first advice to the Minister of Climate Change on updating the New Zealand ETS unit limits and price control settings. It has been developed in line with the intent of the government’s emissions budgets and its emissions reduction plan...

This paper argues that the incoming Albanese Government’s 'Powering Australia' plan outlines a path forward to greater climate ambition and emissions reduction for Australia. However, to truly end the 'climate wars' and overcome the political shortsightedness that has paralysed Australian climate policy for over a...

Emissions have increased under Australia’s only climate policy, the Emissions Reduction Fund (ERF). The authors of this paper argue that the ERF requires a comprehensive and independent review to assess its integrity and, most importantly, its role in helping Australia meet its climate targets.

This report reviews the New Zealand government’s climate change strategy and argues the strategy is based on a misunderstanding of the relationship between the emission trading scheme (ETS) and other policies.

This paper assesses the role of carbon pricing in a sustainable recovery from COVID-19. It tracks the policy changes in carbon pricing within OECD and G20 countries between January 2020 and August 2021 of the COVID-19 pandemic.

This guide provides a user-friendly description of the New Zealand Emissions Trading Scheme's current design features, their rationale, and how they have evolved over time. The guide also includes a series of figures illustrating trends in key data over time.

The Climate Change Authority has commenced public consultation on its review of the assessment principles for international offsets. This consultation paper gives interested parties the opportunity to provide their views on the criteria for accepting offsets for use in Climate Active and Australia’s Indo-Pacific Carbon...

Forests play a vital role in New Zealand’s response to the climate emergency. They are also hugely significant to the economy and to Māori, both culturally and economically. This discussion document seeks feedback on ideas to better manage forests in New Zealand.

Angus Taylor, the Minister for Industry, Energy and Emissions Reduction, claimed that Labor’s 2012 carbon tax destroyed one in eight manufacturing jobs, or roughly 12 per cent of the industry. Verdict: Mr Taylor’s claim is wrong.

This paper reviews the literature that discusses the risks of carbon leakage associated with climate policies and their implications for the agricultural sector.

This document examines a range of options for reforming industrial free allocation of tradable emissions units issued by the New Zealand government.

The transport sector is responsible for nearly 20 per cent of Australia’s emissions, and more than 60 per cent of transport emissions are from light vehicles. This report argues that the best policy response would be for the Australian government to introduce an economy-wide emissions...

All G7 members have sharpened their climate and trade policies to consider the use of carbon border adjustments. This paper argues that Australia should lean in, rather than push back, on the development of such a proposal while taking advantage of the opportunities in existing...

Arguing that Australia may soon face carbon border taxes from its trade partners, former prime ministers Kevin Rudd and Malcolm Turnbull claimed that more than 70 per cent of the nation's trade was with countries committed to achieving net-zero greenhouse gas emissions. Verdict: their claim...

Many countries and subnational jurisdictions are considering putting a price on carbon to help reduce greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions and achieve their climate commitments. The objective of this guide is to help policy-makers build the case for carbon pricing and choose an appropriate carbon pricing...

This paper proposes an innovative two-track system aimed at scaling up voluntary climate action to help Aotearoa New Zealand meet its Paris Agreement targets – or mitigate beyond the targets.

The authors of this report, argue that the European Central Bank (ECB), should adopt low-carbon strategies. They suggest two such strategies in which carbon-intensive bonds are replaced with more climate-friendly bonds. These strategies would significantly reduce the climate footprint of the ECB corporate Quantitative Easing...