Australian agriculture was always going to be excluded from any carbon trading scheme, according to Charles Sturt University (CSU) expert Professor Kevin Parton.

 

“Australian policy had to align with that of other developed countries,” Professor Parton said.

 

“Agriculture could not easily be included because of the relatively small size of Australian farm businesses, making it difficult to measure the ‘carbon footprint’ of individual farms.

 

“There are also arguments to exclude agriculture because, like other businesses excluded from the carbon trading scheme such as aluminium production, the biggest carbon emitters in agriculture would be largely in the emissions intensive / trade exposed sector.”

 

Professor Parton acknowledges that agriculture may be severely affected by climate change. “And agriculture could also be part of the solution, by contributing to mitigation of increasing CO2 levels in the atmosphere by the storage, or sequestration, of extra carbon in the soil.”

 

For other comments from Professor Parton and other CSU commentators on Australia’s Emissions Trading Scheme and the possible effects of climate change, see here.

 

CSU’s Institute from Land, Water and Society is also hosting a conference on how landholders are tackling climate change this week in Albury.