Most of government's Direct Action budget goes on trees

Questions have been raised about the
 government's long-term
commitment to the emissions reduction fund.

More than half a billion dollars has been spent in the latest auction under the Turnbull government's Direct Action climate change plan, with the vast majority of the money committed to tree projects.

The results mean that about two-thirds of the $2.55 billion set aside under the government's climate change policy to pay farmers and business to cut greenhouse gas emissions has now been handed out.

In the third auction of the emissions reduction fund – a central plank of the Direct Action scheme – about 50 million tonnes of carbon dioxide savings were bought from 73 projects at an average price of $10.23 a tonne.

Read Tom Arup’s story in today’s Melbourne Age - “Turnbull government's latest Direct Action climate auction spends up big on trees.”

(Boosting the world’s tree stock in a bid to counter climate change is legitimate, but it is a tiny part of the overall need if the world is to respond to this dilemma in a constructive way.

Trees are important, rather critical, but they are a simplistic and ultimately a small contributor to what is needed if the world community is to make any serious inroads on counteracting climate change.

Trees have a feel-good sense about them in that they are emotive and conveniently avoid the need for governments to make any serious governance decisions that will impact on peoples’ lifestyles. We need more than action on trees – Robert McLean.)