A climate policy that actually cuts emissions? It’s the reality that fossil fuel bosses and News Corp commentators can’t see

‘In some ways, the safeguard mechanism is a downsized domestic version of the broader global challenge of emissions reduction.’ Photograph: Ashley Cooper/Getty Images

At some stage, policies that governments put forward to reduce emissions need to do exactly what they say on the tin.

This week’s deal between Labor and the Greens to improve a policy covering Australia’s biggest polluters does, finally, achieve that.