[Greens-Media]

Sunday, 8 January 2006

Coal and uranium wrong focus for climate pact

The first meeting of the Asia-Pacific climate pact will test whether
Prime Minister John Howard and his government are committed to make
the
difficult decisions needed to address climate change, Australian
Greens
climate change spokesperson Senator Christine Milne said today.

"The world will be watching what the United States and Australia come
up
with in Sydney this week," Senator Milne said in Hobart.

"The onus is on Mr Howard to move beyond vision statements, photo
opportunities, memoranda, signals of intent and commit to real
greenhouse gas reduction targets and a plan of action and the funding
to
achieve them.

"The $100 million suggested from Australia is far too little too late,
and seems destined to be another corporate welfare payment to the coal
and uranium industries.

"After months of posturing about what Australia will do to address
climate change, Mr Howard will need to prove that the Asia-Pacific
climate pact is more than another resource export deal promoting coal
and uranium.

"Dressing up the export of uranium for 'civilian nuclear power' tries
to
hide the very real danger that uranium exported to China will be
directed to nuclear weapons.

"Nuclear power is not an answer to climate change as it is expensive,
dangerous and slow to implement.

"Nor should the government continue to entrench Australia as a
fossil-fuel dependant economy by promoting coal exports and coal
technologies.

"We need a strategy to make Australia a low-carbon economy, and that
requires government action, not simply hoping the market will somehow
make this change.

"Australia should be doing for renewable energy what Japan and Germany
have done with solar. They have focussed on the huge expansion in
solar
technology, reducing their own greenhouse gases, at the same time
creating thousands of jobs and cornering export markets.

"Whilst talking up technology transfer, Environment Minister Ian
Campbell ignores the fact that the Kyoto Protocol already provides the
opportunity for such action through the clean development mechanism.
This is one more reason Australia should ratify the protocol."

Contact: Katrina Willis 03 6234 4566 or 0437 587 562


Katrina Willis
Adviser
Office of Senator Christine Milne
03 6234 4566 (phone)
0437 587 562
03 6234 2144 (fax)
www.greens.org.au