Howard's climate pledges slammed

John Howard

SYDNEY - Green groups have slammed the US and Australia's pledge of a combined US$127 million ($184.4 million) to an Asia Pacific plan to slash greenhouse gases as paltry in the face of a huge problem.

Australia will spend A$100 million ($109 million) to support a range of green energy projects over the next five years, Prime Minister John Howard told a summit of six nations.

"Australia will build further on its strong commitment to support clean development projects, capacity building activity and our ongoing role in [the Asia Pacific Partnership on Clean Development and Climate]," he said, adding that A$25 million was earmarked for renewable energy projects.

Howard was addressing ministers at the inaugural Asia Pacific Partnership on Clean Development meeting.

Greenpeace and the New South Wales Nature Conservation Council have slammed the pledge, saying it represents a tiny sum in comparison to the problem.

"The A$100 million [Howard] has offered stands in comparison to the A$55 million his Government has spent on advertising industrial relations changes and A$150 million on upgrading the coal infrastructure in the Hunter Valley," Greenpeace's Catherine Fitzpatrick said.

"The Prime Minister effectively said that his Government doesn't believe it's worth spending the money to really tackle climate change.

"The Australian people, battling bushfires, drought and heatwaves, won't take kindly to that attitude."

Only a quarter of the money was earmarked for actual spending on renewable energy, delaying "real" action on emissions, Fitzpatrick said.

The money is in addition to the A$1.8 billion the Federal Government has already earmarked to address climate change issues.

The announcement comes as the six nations attending said they would set up eight different task forces to address issues including renewable energy, power generation, cleaner fossil fuels and coal mining.

US Energy Secretary Sam Bodman said President George W. Bush had agreed to contribute US$52 million to the partnership in the 2007 budget.

He said the money would help supplement the efforts of the Asia Pacific partnership and the US$3 billion the US already spends annually on environmental initiatives.

Howard said a new report by the Australian Bureau of Agriculture and Resource Economics showed that, by adopting cleaner technology, greenhouse gas emissions in the six nations taking part in the summit would fall by 20 per cent by 2050.

The report would show that the spill-on effect would be a 13 per cent cut in greenhouse-gas emissions around the world, he said.

"On this basis, the adoption of new technologies is therefore a credible and essential part of measures needed to reduce global emissions growth."

The summit is attended by Government and corporate leaders from the United States, Japan, India, South Korea and China.

Burning Issues

Asia Pacific Partnership

United States, China, Japan, South Korea, India and Australia.

Member countries account for:

49pc of world GDP.
48pc of energy consumption.
48pc of gas emissions.
45pc of the world's population.

Coal consumers

China 34.4pc of world total.
United States 20.3pc.
India 7.4pc.
Japan 4.3pc.
Russian Federation 3.8pc.

Oil burners

US 25pc of world total.
China 8pc.
Japan 6pc.
India 3pc.
South Korea 3pc.

Gas guzzlers

US 24pc of world total.
Russian Federation 15pc.
Britain 3.7pc.
Canada 3.3pc.
Iran 3.2pc.

Nuclear nations

US 30pc of world total.
France 16pc.
Japan 10pc.
Germany 6pc.
Russian Federation 5pc.

- AAP, REUTERS