Canada lets the states lead on climate, should Australia do the same?

Canada's Justin Trudeau is
showing Australia a "thing
or two" with his
climate change plans.

Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau showed Australia a thing or two when he announced a new climate change plan last week – and not just because it was delivered impeccably in two languages. Trudeau has decided to leave climate policy to the provinces, while forcing them to act.

Is this state-based approach a model for Australia?

Prime Minister Malcolm Turnbull doesn’t seem keen. He recently blasted state-based renewable energy schemes, linking them to South Australia’s power outage and saying national approaches were best.

But here’s the thing: if Turnbull doesn’t boost his climate policies soon, a state-based system of climate policies is exactly what Australia will have. And unlike Canada, no one will be in charge of it.

Read the piece on The Conversation by a Research Fellow with the Melbourne Sustainable Society Institute (MSSI) at the University of Melbourne, Cathy Alexander - “Canada lets the states lead on climate, should Australia do the same?”