Just at the time Australia is launching into an emissions trading scheme, the EU one appears to be faltering. Eek. In this post we’ve collected links to articles and videos on the European scheme and the political stoush that’s happening here in Oz. (We predict it’s only a matter of time before the Opposition here cotton on to the European failings.) And of course there’s the question of – what the hell is an emssions trading scheme anyway? Plenty of people wouldn’t have the foggiest. We explain here at the end. Click on.

It’s all set to hot up due to the timelines the Australian Government has set itself – to introduce the scheme by mid-2010. The Climate Minister Penny Wong should be unveiling the new legislation next month or so. And in a strange twist, the Greens have sided with the Conservatives to force a Senate Inquiry. So we’re bound to see more of this in the news. And more time lost. Plus, to complicate things, at the end of the year we have the big meeting in Copenhagen where the nations of the world come together to hammer out a post-Kyoto agreement.

Related articles:
The collapsing carbon market in Europe is making mega-pollution dirt cheap (The Guardian)
Emissions Trading scheme explained by Ross Gittins (Herald)
Our collection of news stories on carbon emissions & emissions trading

Video:
The EU’s emissions trading scheme
How carbon trading could solve global warming

Audio:
Here’s an old podcast interview we did with Matt Dever from Emit Brokers explaining how carbon trading works.

Photo:
Coal power plant photo courtesy of Wigwam Jones on flickr.

And we have these videos from the Garnaut Forum. In fact you can even rate what he has to say. In this video, the good professor lashes out at the sceptics (in his own gentile way):

Here’s what Ross said when asked why Australia should act when other countries aren’t:

And here’s what Professor Garnaut had to say about compensating the coal industry:

It seems the two majors parties are heading for a showdown on the shape of it. And thrown into the mix is a newly configured senate. A strange assortment of new powerbrokers – The Greens, Family First and Mr X – may well determine the new scheme’s fate.

This segment came out of our regular review of key environment news. Each week we speak to one of the country’s leading environmental journalists to find out what’s happening. This week, we talk to Ben Cubby, the Sydney Morning Herald’s Chief Environment Reporter. Listen to The Environment Show’s interview on the latest carbon trading scheme news.

Phil Stubbs spoke to Matt Dever from Emit Environmental Brokers to find out.

For a fuller explanation, I’ve added this link to a video interview with Dr Andrew Sentance who was formerly the Head of Environment for British Airways. It was produced by Warwick iCAST and can be found on YouTube.

And for more on the European carbon trading system (which is well down the track), there’s a link below to a video prepared by European channel EUX.TVand loaded to YouTube.