According to a survey conducted by the Alternative Technology Association (ATA), 33 per cent of people who already purchase GreenPower said that they would cease doing so if it did not make a difference to Australia’s overall greenhouse gas emissions. A further 10 per cent said they would strongly consider dropping GreenPower.

In early May, the Federal Government announced that it would take into account the contribution of individual households that purchase accredited GreenPower in setting CPRS caps. However, consumption levels in 2009 would be set as the baseline for future measures. This means that the less GreenPower purchased in 2009, the lower the benchmark will be for calculating future GreenPower contributions as a factor in CPRS caps.

“The government has set a baseline and will only recognise GreenPower purchases that go above the baseline. Anyone who started purchasing GreenPower before 2009 will not be taken into account,” said Damien Moyse, Energy Policy Manager for the ATA.

Speaking at the Sustainable Councils 2009 Conference in Melbourne recently, Adjunct Professor Alan Pears of RMIT University’s Centre for Design expressed similar concerns about the implications of the CPRS for GreenPower purchasers. Full coverage of the conference and Prof. Pears’ presentation will be featured in the upcoming July/August edition of EcoGeneration magazine.