Technology – not tax is the key to meeting emissions targets. A tax is such a blunt instrument that generally has the opposite effect of what governments are trying to achieve. This is such a negative policy, innovation and technology is the key here.

I believe in meeting emissions targets, this will require the development of new technology and should be instigated with tax incentives for business enterprises willing to invest in technologies and processes to reduce emissions output. We all live on this planet, we all have a duty to employ environmentally sound actions that benefit the community as a whole.

The idea is to create an environment that is conducive to long-term investment in emissions reduction. What businesses do not want is government policy constantly changing causing disruption to their long-term planning and implementation.

The purpose of governments is to create policies that reward investment that leads to long-term goals. We need to move away from the short-term policies that are not in the best interests of any parties. The role of government is to create the conditions for investment and monitor compliance, the role of the private sector is to seek opportunities and apply scarce capital to projects that earn superior returns.