Qantas & European Union Journalism Award

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Winner of the 2011 EU-Qantas journalist award is Environment writer for The Age, Adam Morton, with the theme 'Carbon Policy: the EU's use of emissions trading and complementary climate policies in cutting emissions and transforming the economy'.

Adam's winning proposal was announced on 22 June at the National Press Club by Andrea Nicolaj, First Counsellor of the European Union Delegation.
Mr Nicolaj said 'This year's winner has chosen a very topical debate here and around the world, dealing as it does with climate change and the policies devised to mitigate global warming. You might know that the EU has had an ETS since 2005 and has also adopted a range of other policies in this regard. The winner will no doubt delight his newspaper's readers with a series of extensive reports about his findings.'

"The claim is frequently made that Australia is 'going it alone' in pricing carbon."  said Adam.  "This suggests the EU emissions trading scheme remains poorly understood both at the political level and by the broader public."

When Adam takes up the Award in October, he aims to rectify this misunderstanding by undertaking a detailed examination of the design and impact of the EU ETS, and an examination of the development of clean and low-emissions energy sources across the EU.  He has specific interests in the success of programs designed to rapidly escalate solar power, the development of carbon capture and storage technology, and the impact of the Fukushima disaster on plans to build new nuclear plants in Europe.  Adam will also examine to what extent the EU's political, business and domestic communities accept the ETS as a justified long-term policy.

Accepting the Award on Adam's behalf, fellow Age journalist and 2008 EUQJA winner, Tim Colebatch, thanked Qantas, the National Press Club and the European Union for making this award possible.

The EU-Qantas Journalist Award began in 1991 and it is conducted by the Delegation of the European Union in Canberra in conjunction with the National Press Club.

Qantas has, since the Award's inception 20 years ago, sponsored the Award with a business class return airfare to Europe. The Award consists of a three-week study tour of EU Institutions and up to three Member States.

"This Award is just one of the measures we undertake to help create a better understanding in Australia of EU affairs. We aim to give Australian journalists first hand experience in covering European issues." Mr Nicolaj said.

 

Enquiries: Jan Skorich, Delegation of the European Union, Canberra 
T: (02) 6271 2747; E-mail: jan.skorich@eeas.europa.eu


more information at http://www.delaus.ec.europa.eu/News&events/EUQJA/journalistaward.htm

EUROPEAN UNION JOURNALISM AWARD WINNERS
1999  REBECCA GORMAN            ABC RADIO
2000  SID MARRIS                     THE AUSTRALIAN
2001   CATHY PRYOR                THE AUSTRALIAN
2002   DEIDRE MACKEN              AUSTRALIAN FINANCIAL REVIEW
2003   ALLESANDRA FABRO         AUSTRALIAN FINANCIAL REVIEW
2004   DAMIEN CARRICK            ABC RADIO NATIONAL
2005  DIANA BAGNALL                THE BULLETIN
2006  JOSH GORDON                 THE AGE
2006  TONY BOYD                     AUSTRALIAN FINANCIAL REVIEW
2007  MICHAEL VISONTAY          HERALD SUN
2008   TIM COLEBATCH              THE AGE
2009   CATHY ALEXANDER           AAP
2010   LYNNE GALLAGHER           ABC RADIO NATIONAL
2011  ADAM MORTON                THE AGE