PM clean coal pact slammed

Bendigo Advertiser
Wednesday 17/1/2007 Page: 27

Greenpeace says Prime Minister John Howard's pact with China to use so-called clean coal technology is a typical diversion from the need to switch from coal to renewable energy. The environmental group says Mr Howard continues to ignore options which would deter industrialised economies from increasing greenhouse gas emissions.

Australia and China on Monday pledged to work together to develop cleaner energy alternatives following top level talks in the Philippines. The pact coincided with a wider declaration on energy security made by 16 countries at the East Asia Summit of regional leaders. The declaration pledges a move towards nuclear and other alternative energy solutions, acknowledging the need for renewable energy development.

However, Greenpeace spokesman Ben Pearson said China was already moving in that direction, having recently announced plans to invest 45.6 billion yuan ($A7.41 billion) to more than triple wind power generation capacity by 2010 and aiming to reach a 15 per cent renewable energy target by
2020.

"The deal seems to involve no new financing and doesn't address the central problem that without a price on carbon, technologies such as geosequestration will never be commercially deployed," said Mr Pearson. Mr Pearson said deep cuts were needed in greenhouse emissions of industrialised countries of at least 30 per cent by 2020 to avoid dangerous climate change.

Meanwhile, Opposition Leader Kevin Rudd has said John Howard has no authority to encourage China and India to do more to tackle global warming because of his own refusal to do so. Mr Rudd said Mr Howard lacked the credentials to speak on global warming in discussions with ASEAN leaders during the East Asia Summit because of his refusal to ratify the Kyoto Protocol and meet United Nations mandatory targets for greenhouse gas reduction.

But he said climate change needed to be one of Mr Howard's top priorities during discussions as its effects would have "huge" repercussions for the region's economy.