Climate Change

How will climate change affect my business?

Climate change is likely to affect Australians and Australian businesses by altering long-term weather patterns. The potential costs to the environment and economy should be of concern to everyone.

There are a number of ways you can limit the effects of climate change on your business. Incentives, such as grants, will be available to businesses to encourage innovation and change in the transition to a reduced carbon economy. A carbon price will also encourage low-carbon consumption and production.

Whatever your level of impact there are incentives, guides, tools and information available to help manage the impact on your business and help you minimise it where possible or appropriate.

Financial Impact

Business input costs will change and the costs of emission-intensive inputs such as energy are likely to be moderately higher. Smaller business are likely to face increased energy and fuel costs, through the demands of their supply chains and consumer pressures.

The Government will support households and business to lessen the financial impact through the Climate Change Action Fund (CCAF). Every cent raised from the CCAF will be used to help Australians adjust and to invest in clean energy options. The CCAF will also provide incentives for business and community organisations to invest in low-emiisions technologies, processes and products.

For more information go to the Department of Climate Change and Energy Efficiency website.

Renewable Energy Target (RET)

The Renewable Energy Target (RET) aims to encourage new investment in renewable energy generation. The targt allows the market to choose those technologies which reliably produce renewable energy at the lowest cost. Australia has set an RET of 20 per cent by 2020. This means that by 2020, one-fifth of Australia's electricity will come from renewable sources such as wind, solar and geothermal power.

For more information on the RET go to the Department of Climate Change and Energy Efficiency website.

What can I do to limit the effects of climate change in my business?

There are a number of ways that you can limit the effects of climate change on your business, with incentives, guides, tools and information available to help manage and minimise the impact.

Reduce your Carbon Footprint

A carbon footprint is the total greenhouse gas emissions caused by individuals, families, businesses and countries. These footprints are made up from almost every activity in our daily lives. On average, Australians have one of the largest carbon footprints in the world.

You can reduce your carbon footprint by making changes to your business activities, including spending less on raw materials, energy and water, reducing waste and finding new market opportunities for 'green' goods and services. There are real savings available for your business by using these methods to reduce your impact. For more benefits, visit our Business benefits page.

Visit our Tools & resources page for online tools, calculators, guides and databases to help you make your business sustainable and reduce or offset your carbon footprint.

Comply with environmental & climate change regulations

To ensure your business and the environment is protected, you need to know if your business activities fall under environmental legislation, reporting, licensing and labelling requirements. Visit our Licences & labelling page and our Reporting page to find out your obligations.

Grants and assistance

There are a range of grants and assistance available across federal, state and territory, and local government levels to support efforts to make your business more environmentally friendly. For a full list, visit our Environmental grants & assistance page.