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A national consumer strategy on climate change would bring these elements together inan overall approach focused on identifying and enabling consumers to make changesthat signifi cantly contribute to national green house gas emission reductions targets,and linking consumers into the national and international debate on climate change.Ultimately the aim is to enable consumers, business and government to hold eachother to account and to each help to accelerate the progress by other actors as well asthemselves. Key steps would include:» A consumer focused analysis of the pathway towards a carbon-free economy inAustralia, mapping out the changes that consumers will need to make, the equityimplications and how they will be addressed, and how individuals as consumersand citizens can help to drive the necessary developments.» Development of practical demonstrations of what it will mean to implement thesechanges at the level of households, neighbourhoods and cities; and creating a newvision of a sustainable Australian lifestyle.» Measures to make choice easy through a combination of» labelling (voluntary or mandatory where necessary),» choice-editing (removing poor choices from the market where case is strongand short or medium turn net cost to consumers is minimal),» removing tax disincentives for effi cient choices,» overcoming distorted time preferences for long pay-off products throughloans, rebates and shifts from product to service pricing models.» Clear demonstration of leadership by Australian government bodies, schools,hospitals and public leaders, showing sustainable consumption in practise.» A multi-sector roadmap showing how business, government and community actionsfi t together into the national strategy, helping people to shift from the small changesimplied by ‘do your bit’ strategy, to ‘making changes that add up’, ‘driving the market’‘greening Australia’s reputation’, and becoming a national movement for change.The Alliance for Climate Protection offers one useful model for such a strategy. Theirmission, focused on the US, aims to persuade people of the importance, urgency andfeasibility of adopting and implementing effective and comprehensive solutions for theclimate crisis. Importantly, it integrates individual and political action to:1. Move the country past a ‘tipping point’, beyond which the majority of leadersin major political parties and civil society compete to offer genuinely effectiveproposals, policies, programs and laws that will sharply reduce greenhouse gasemissions.2. Create a critical mass of public opinion in support of active participation by thecountry in the international effort to enact a genuinely effective new treaty to reduceglobal greenhouse gas pollution.34 What Assures Consumers on Climate Change – Australian Update