THE Climate Change Minister, Penny Wong, will confront international calls for Australia to back tough targets to cut greenhouse gas emissions when she joins the UN climate talks in Poland today as environment groups intensify their pressure on the Rudd Government to take tougher action at home.
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A document released from the UN talks yesterday shows a significant number of countries, including China, maintaining calls for developed countries to examine cutting greenhouse gases by between 25 and 40 per cent below 1990 levels by 2020. This was backed by a briefing from the UN's peak scientific body showing the cuts were needed if the planet is to avoid a rise in temperature of more than two degrees and dangerous climate change.
But as Senator Wong arrived in Poland there was increased speculation at home that the Rudd Government wants to limit Australia's 2020 target to cuts between 5 and 15 per cent when it announces its Carbon Pollution Reduction Scheme next Monday.
Environment groups called on Senator Wong to "show leadership" at the UN negotiations including setting the Australian target of at least 25 per cent cuts in emissions by 2020.
"She will have to confront the issue of the target range here," the Climate Institute's Erwin Jackson said from Poland last night. "We've got to move things forward."
Climate scientist and former Australian of the Year, Tim Flannery, said yesterday he was dismayed by the slow progress of the UN talks, which are aimed at getting a global climate agreement by the end of next year. He argued that resistance to cutting emissions "is a suicidal tactic".
"These negotiations are not going as smoothly as we would hope. I'd like to see Australia be a bit more ambitious, quite frankly," Professor Flannery said. On Australia's 2020 target, he was not as tough, however, as other climate scientists.
Green groups and many other climate scientists believe that if the Australian target range is between 5 and 15 per cent, as speculated, it will hamper a global agreement on fighting climate change and Australia's switch to a more sustainable economy.
Jeff Angel, director of the Total Environment Centre, said the range of 25 to 40 per cent cuts being discussed at the UN talks should be taken up by Australia.
"Anything less will greatly complicate negotiations between the developed nation bloc and could give major developing nations like India, China, Brazil, Mexico and Indonesia a 'get out of jail free' card," Mr Angel said.
Many businesses support deeper emissions cuts than the government is likely to announce on Monday but few have suggested targets, while the high-polluting resources industry is doubtful Australia can reach even 5 per cent cuts by 2020.
The chief executive of mining giant Xstrata, Peter Coates, told a Senate committee hearing this week that even small emissions cuts would be a challenge for Australia. "The interim targets under discussion will be very difficult to achieve," Mr Coates told the hearing, where he was appearing for the Minerals Council of Australia.
Greenpeace said lower targets would mean Australia would be viewed as a "rogue state", while the Australian Conservation Foundation said the public supported stronger action than the government appeared to be taking.
