Regulating Carbon in Canada Lessons for Canada: Implementation of Australia's Carbon Pricing Mechanism

Through its Regulating Carbon Emissions in Canada initiative, the International Institute for Sustainable Development (IISD) has sought to provide insight regarding the impact of carbon pricing and regulatory schemes in Canada.

While IISD's pieces have focused on Canadian policy strategies, this analysis looks at external carbon mitigation policies and offers lessons and comparison for Canadian policy-makers and industry stakeholders.In this brief, Tony Beck, an expert on Australian carbon markets, looks at the rollout of Australia's carbon pricing scheme, and the impacts of implementation on national and subnational governments, and the private sector.The Australian model provides an alternate model of carbon mitigation to Canada's mix of regulation and carbon pricing. While the two economies are not mirror images, the robust energy sector in Australia, its lengthy history debating carbon pricing approaches, and its mix of national and subnational climate policy provide a useful parallel reference for Canada.