Labor's climate change approach fanatical: Turnbull

[ no bull ... from Turnbull ?!? ]

The federal Environment Minister, Malcolm Turnbull, has accused the Opposition of taking a fanatical and religious approach to climate change.

At Labor's climate change summit yesterday, Opposition Leader Kevin Rudd called for an Australian global warming audit, similar to the influential report recently prepared by economist Sir Nicholas Stern for the British Government.

The Opposition has also set a target of reducing emissions by 60 per cent by 2050.

But Mr Turnbull has told Channel Ten that Labor's policy is over the top.

"For Labor it's a religious issue - see Labor is verging on becoming fanatical about this issue," he said.

"In a sense that they do not care how poor we have to become as long as we become pure - I think religion is a very poor guide to public policy, I have to tell you.

"The thing that Labor misses, the thing they completely miss - they do not understand climate change, is that it's a global problem."

Prime Minister John Howard says it does not make sense for Labor to call for a new Stern-style review when Mr Rudd has already adopted a target on cutting greenhouse gas emissions.

But Labor's environment spokesman, Peter Garrett, has told Channel Nine it is not a case of putting the cart before the horse.

"I think any prudent government or alternative government ought to have a decent amount of information in front of it that's based on what we're hearing from the scientists about climate change," he said.

"But surely you do that before arriving at a solution - I think the point about a target is you've got to aspire to what the scientists are telling us."

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