ACT Environment, Climate Change and Water Minister Simon Corbell said yesterday he was disappointed Prime Minister Kevin Rudd's 5 per cent reduction target on 2000 emissions, and pledged to set a more ambitious benchmark for the territory. The ACT's emission targets are under review by the Legislative Assembly's Climate Change Committee.

The Greens-Labor agreement signed after the October election states the inquiry will have reference to the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change meeting in Bali in December 2007, which recognised the need for targets in the range of 25-40 per cent below 1990 levels by 2020.

Mr Corbell said the committee would determine a target when it reported in July 2009, and expected it to be an aggressive one. ''The science around climate change is increasingly clear that we do need more ambitious targets ... and we treat that science very seriously.''

ACT Greens climate change spokesman Shane Rattenbury and Opposition Leader Zed Seselja also criticised the Federal Government's stance. Mr Rattenbury said, ''He has failed a significant test of leadership, basically he has surrendered in the fight against climate change, he's basically surrendered to the big fossil fuel industries which have said, 'We want to maintain business as usual'.

''He has failed to grasp the opportunity of defining a new green economy for Australia, and instead has stuck with the old economy.''

Mr Seselja condemned the ACT Government for its lack of criticism of the federal target. ''The deafening silence from our ACT Government is indicative of the fact they give Kevin Rudd the tick no matter what.''

The Canberra Liberals introduced a Bill into the Assembly last week that, if passed, would see emission reduction target set at 30 per cent on 1990 levels by 2020.

Mr Corbell said the global financial crisis was an opportunity, not a deterrent, to move towards a greener economy. ''This economic slowdown is an opportunity to refocus economic activity into new areas around environmental sustainability, and moving towards a less carbon-demanding future.''