Lack of direction leaves climate policy in chaos: expert

Warwick McKibbin. Photo: ANU - A public policy and economics expert at the ANU has criticised both sides of politics for missing an opportunity to commit to climate change policies. Both sides of politics lack leadership when it comes to establishing clear climate policies, according to a leading public policy and economics expert at The Australian National University (ANU). Warwick McKibbin, a Professor at the ANU Crawford School of Public Policy and Director of the Centre for Applied Macroeconomic Analysis, said the two major political parties had missed an opportunity to commit to clear policies on climate change before the recent COP26 summit in Glasgow. Professor McKibbin said Labor had now moved towards a reasonable policy. "The lack of agreement between the two major parties has left the potential for a national climate policy framework in complete and utter chaos when it comes to long-term investment decisions," he said. "It's been state governments and the mums and dads who have been making the real decisions as they retool their houses and their energy use, while the big superannuation funds are also being affected by the excess of political uncertainty on climate policies." Professor McKibbin has co-authored three separate papers that outline a pathway to address the political and economic steps to achieve net zero carbon emissions by 2050.