Opposition to hold climate change summit

The Federal Opposition's climate change summit will be held in Canberra today.

Business leaders, most premiers and environmentalists will seek to shape Labor's policy on global warming ahead of this year's election.

Opposition Leader Kevin Rudd will open the summit, and the keynote speakers include Tom Haymet from the Scripps Institution of Oceanography, and Tom Burke from Rio Tinto.

Ian Lowe from the Conservation Foundation is pushing for a strong response to the issue.

"I wouldn't be going to the summit unless I thought it was useful," Mr Lowe said.

"Climate change is an urgent issue and it demands a concerted response."

While green groups will seek to spell out the seriousness of the issue, Peter Hendy from the Australian Chamber of Commerce and Industry is wary of Labor's policy plans.

"We need a sensible cool-headed debate," Mr Hendy said.

"We need to realise that Australia is only a very small emitter in terms of the total world emissions, we only represent some 1.4 percent of emissions."

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