Expo to provide guidance on carbon emission caps

Companies rushing to meet the 2010 deadline for carbon emission caps will be able to research their options at an inaugural carbon-trading event in Melbourne.

The Australian Carbon Trading Expo and Conference 2008, running from 29 April to 1 May at the Melbourne Exhibition Centre, is the first of its kind in Australia.

It comes on the back of a survey released by PricewaterhouseCoopers in early February, that showed only 22% of all businesses surveyed had acted on climate change — and most of these had simply created new internal policies and procedures.

“The Australian Carbon Trading Expo and Conference will provide a forum for business owners to gather much-needed, independent information on how to best address the issue of emissions reduction,” said organiser David Conolly of Australian Exhibitions & Conferences.

“Failure to do this will leave many businesses vulnerable to avoidable costs. Legislative reporting of carbon emissions for many businesses commences 1 July this year — less than six months away — and now the government has announced caps from 2010.

“This is not just about the environment but risk management. If addressed in a timely manner both business and the environment are winners.”

Environmental building consultant Jan Brandjes said the federal government’s caps signalled it was time for business to act.

“The proposed permit system will allow companies to ease into this new economy in a more responsible manner. The problem businesses face, though, is that there’s really not a lot of information out there about the steps that they need to take, which is why this show and conference is such a breath of fresh air,” he said.

Visitors to the Australian Carbon Trading Expo and Conference 2008 will meet with federal and state government advisory bureaus, energy providers, carbon-offset providers, carbon market consultants and suppliers of environmentally friendly technologies.