Fed: Greens slam Rudd's effort at Copenhagen as a failure

AAP General News (Australia)
12-17-2009
Fed: Greens slam Rudd's effort at Copenhagen as a failure

CANBERRA, Dec 17 AAP - The Australian Greens say Prime Minister Kevin Rudd has missed
an opportunity to "inject some momentum" into stalled United Nations climate talks in
Copenhagen.

Addressing the summit on Thursday, Mr Rudd called for compromise from both rich and
poor countries in the search for a global pact on tackling climate change.

History's big emitters had to strike a bargain with those who would emit heavily in
the future, he said.

"The inescapable truth is that we, the developed world, carry the overwhelming historical
responsibility for the accumulation of greenhouse gases in the atmosphere," he said.

But he warned that if the developed world became carbon neutral and the developing
world continued to grow along current trends, the emerging economies alone would be responsible
for more than half of total global emissions by 2050.

"This would create a temperature rise of between 3.2 degrees and four degrees Celsius
and even possibly higher," he said.

Greens deputy leader Christine Milne, who is also in Copenhagen, said in a statement
that Mr Rudd could help drive the talks further by lifting Australia's targets for cutting
emissions.

"Mr Rudd's speech today was his big chance to inject some momentum into the stalled
talks by promising to lift Australia's targets, but instead he used it for thinly-veiled
jibes at the developing world," Senator Milne said.

"The only way to a fair deal that can avert the climate crisis is for Australia and
our fellow developed countries to lift our ambition to what science demands - 40 per cent
cuts by 2020."

Australia has committed to cutting emissions by between five per cent and 25 per cent
over the next decade.

With just two days remaining, the summit has so far failed to make significant progress
towards striking a deal to tackle global warming.

AAP kms/it/mn

KEYWORD: SUMMIT GREENS

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