Named and shamed at climate talks

Canberra Times
Wednesday 3/6/2009 Page: 2

Australia is off to a bad start at the United Nations climate talks in Bonn, winning the event's first Fossil of the Day award for "inadequate" and ''obnoxious'' emissions reduction targets. The daily award is decided by delegates from more than 450 non government groups from around the world, attending the 12-day climate treaty summit.

The Fossil award citation claims Australia's revised target of a conditional emissions cut of 25% by 2020 is too low and "puts unreasonable conditions on other countries". Australian Greens deputy leader Christine Milne has endorsed the award, saying the fact Australia was the first recipient "shows how unhelpful the Rudd Government's target is".

Senator Milne's strongly worded comments suggest impending negotiations between the Greens and the Rudd Government to secure the passage of its emissions trading scheme through the Senate may be headed for an impasse that will scupper the scheme. Federal climate change minister Penny Wong yesterday was more optimistic, and suggested the Rudd Government and the Greens were "not coming from opposite ends" in their negotiations. " I think the Greens are of the view that climate change is something that has to be responded to.

People who have voted for the Greens, who voted for the Rudd Labor Government, many of them want action taken on climate change. We do start from the same place," Senator Wong said. But Senator Milne said the award made it clear nobody wanting an effective outcome from the UN talks in Bonn "is impressed by the Rudd Government's inadequate emissions reduction offer".

The Bonn talks, which involve delegates from 108 countries, will debate a 53-page negotiating text to develop a draft treaty to replace the Kyoto Protocol. The draft will then be considered by governments attending the UN Framework Convention on Climate Change's annual conference in Copenhagen in December.

The Rudd Government has committed Australia to a cut of between 5 and 25% below 2000 greenhouse levels depending on the level of international agreement reached. This is a 24% cut below 1990 levels. "If Australia goes to Copenhagen having legislatively locked out the option of accepting a target stronger than 24%, it can only lower the level of ambition from other countries and undermine the chances of a strong global agreement," Senator Milne said. The Greens want the government to commit to 40% cuts below 1990 levels by 2020.