Apathy over carbon trading

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Big business is unprepared for the national carbon emissions trading scheme set to begin within two years, a survey has found.

Only 36% of the senior executives surveyed were aware the federal government’s carbon trading scheme will kick into action in 2010, the Australian Institute of Management, Victoria and Tasmania, (AIM) survey found.

Eighty per cent of respondents said they knew very little or were only somewhat aware of the scheme.

As well, 76% of respondents said their organisations had not commenced planning for the scheme’s introduction.

Of the 288 executives who participated in the survey, 60% were chief executives or business owners and 40 % were senior managers.

”The survey shows an alarmingly low level of preparedness for the emission scheme’s introduction, with obvious implications for emissions trading scheme (ETS) readiness in 2010,” AIM’s Victoria and Tasmania chief executive Susan Heron said.

”What is encouraging is that 62% of survey respondents said they believe the introduction of the emissions trading scheme is justified.”

Ms Heron warned that Australian organisations should recognise that carbon trading would be a ”business reality” in 2010.

”Although the scheme will first target only those organisations considered to be large consumers of energy and those emitting high levels of greenhouse gases, the impact of the scheme will flow to all organisations,” she said.

AAP