Australia

Australia, the world’s biggest per head polluter, unveiled plans on July 16 to rein-in greenhouse gas emissions, but said it would shield some companies and motorists from a carbon emissions trading scheme expected to drive up inflation. The centre-left government released an options paper for how emissions trading is likely to work from 2010. The government’s plan aims to curb Australia’s carbon emissions by forcing 1,000 of the country’s biggest-polluting firms, including global miners BHP Billiton and Rio Tinto to purchase permits placing a cost on their emissions. (Reuters)