Greenhouse target will be weak: Greens | Politics

1st December 2008

GREEN groups are increasingly concerned about the Rudd Government's commitment to tackle climate change, ahead of global talks in Poland.

The Australian Greens believe the Government is preparing to release a "weak" carbon-reduction target for 2020.

Climate Change Minister Penny Wong has backed away from a previous commitment to announce a mid-term target before the latest round of UN climate change talks in the Polish city of Poznan.

Those talks start this week and Senator Wong said the Government was deferring an announcement on the target to coincide with the December 15 release of its white paper on an emissions trading scheme.

Greens senator Christine Milne described the decision as a "terrible cop-out".

"It's very clear that rather than lead, what Penny Wong wants to do is announce a really weak target," Senator Milne told reporters.

The Government's climate change adviser, Professor Ross Garnaut, has nominated a point between five and 20 per cent as the most likely emissions reduction target.

Senator Wong said the Poznan meeting was never about participating nations making firm commitments to reduction targets.

"Poznan is at the mid-point of Bali and Copenhagen," she told ABC Radio.

The Bali talks had set out a road map for negotiation on reducing greenhouse gas emissions.

"The important conference, at which we are seeking to get global agreement, is at Copenhagen (in Denmark) at the end of next year."

Greenpeace activists tried to have Prime Minister Kevin Rudd sign a super-sized declaration committing the government to an election promise on emission reductions as he left The Lodge for parliament on Monday.

"The reality is if Mr Rudd fails to set an appropriate emissions reduction target, Australia will once again be a rogue state on climate change," Greenpeace climate and energy campaigner Julien Vincent said.

Mr Rudd later defended the Government's record on climate change action.

The government would introduce its emissions trading scheme and set a carbon reduction target in an economically responsible manner, Mr Rudd told Parliament.

"We have clear-cut strategy for the future that gets the balance right."

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