鈥淎USTRALIA will more than play its part to address climate change.鈥� This was the surprising on Tuesday from Australian prime minister John Howard, who has shunned international carbon reduction schemes such as the Kyoto protocol. Now here鈥檚 the 鈥渂ut鈥�: Australia will do it 鈥渋n a practical and balanced way in full knowledge of the economic consequences for this nation鈥�, Howard said.
The A$627 million (US$548 million) climate-change package amounts to a national 鈥渃ap and trade鈥� greenhouse gas emissions scheme. However, Howard has not revealed what the 鈥渃ap鈥� 鈥� the emissions target 鈥� will be, nor has he put a price on carbon emissions, notes Erwin Jackson, of the Climate Institute of Australia, an independent environmental organisation based in Sydney.
The scheme could be up and running by 2011 and would apply to about 55 per cent of Australia鈥檚 carbon emissions, according to the country鈥檚 environment minister.
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Howard has been under strong pressure to announce some sort of carbon trading system. In April, Australia鈥檚 states declared their intention to go it alone and set up a national trading scheme. Public support has also swung towards opposition leader Kevin Rudd, who has promised to ratify Kyoto if he wins the next election, due late this year.
鈥淪upport has swung towards the opposition leader, who has promised to ratify Kyoto鈥�
Greenpeace Australia says Howard has actually yielded to pressure from another group 鈥� his country鈥檚 powerful coal industry 鈥� by announcing what amounts to a delaying tactic in carbon trading, rather than an effective new scheme to reduce carbon emissions.
The new climate-change package includes A$336 million for boosting energy efficiency in schools, each of which will receive 鈥済reen vouchers鈥� up to the value of A$50,000, to help fund the installation of rainwater tanks and solar hot-water systems.
