Scheme 'too little, too late'


'Sydney declaration' to be announced at APEC
Labor sceptical of timing so close to election
Garrett calls it 'too little, too late'
THE Federal Government's carbon emissions trading scheme is being developed too close to an election to be credible, Labor's environment spokesman Peter Garrett says.
The Howard Government is developing a regional carbon emissions trading scheme that would include China and the US and could form the basis of a "Sydney declaration" at this year's APEC summit. As the host of the September APEC gathering, Australia is moving rapidly towards adopting an emissions trading scheme that places a price on carbon and adopts a target for greenhouse gas emissions. The scheme would use as its bedrock the existing Asia-Pacific Partnership on Clean Development and Climate - which brings together the so-called AP6 nations of Australia, China, the US, Japan, South Korea and India. It could also be expanded to include other regional partners. Mr Garrett was sceptical, saying carbon trading was already set up with the Kyoto agreement, which the Government should ratify.
But he said he was keen to look into the Government's scheme.
"Obviously we're open-minded about it, but it comes on the back of 11 years of inaction, of denial and of doing nothing on the part of the Howard Government in relation to climate change and global warming," Mr Garrett said today.
"Frankly it comes a little late and a little close to the election cycle to have a great deal of credibility."
The ALP has adopted a target of cutting greenhouse emissions by 60 per cent of 2000 levels by 2050 andjoining the Kyoto trading principles. The party has not set an interim emissions target.
The Prime Minister has previously refused to set a greenhouse emissions reduction target or join any emissions trading group.
But it now appears likely the Howard Government will adopt a target based on a price mechanism recommended in the emissions trading taskforce report.
Mr Howard has accused Labor of arbitrarily adopting a greenhouse emissions target without proper analysis of whether it would devastate an Australian economy so reliant on fuel exports.
Mr Howard has rejected the Labor premiers' plan for a national emissions trading scheme but is now leaning towards an AP6-plus scheme building on regional relationships and bilateral climate change agreements.
Australian Greens Leader Bob Brown said if the plan went ahead it would block a future carbon trading scheme with a target for real greenhouse gas reductions.
"If Howard allocates more than the environment can sustain, we will have to buy back those rights at a cost that would (make) his $10 billion water plan look like small change," Senator Brown said.
The plan would rob the vast majority of businesses of the certainty they needed "in a carbon-challenged world".
Three weeks ago, Mr Howard announced the $200 million global initiative to combat deforestation, especially in Indonesia, which the British Stern report into the impact of climate change identified as one of the greatest contributors to global warming.
It is expected that other regional countries will eventually become involved in the new emissions trading scheme, with the possibility of some European nations getting involved.
Mr Howard wrote to APEC leaders in March putting climate change on the agenda and aligning it with the AP6 philosophy of using technical transfer, such as clean coal technology, to limit greenhouse gas emissions without hurting developing economies.
APEC members are responsible for 60 per cent of the world's energy consumption. Demand for energy in the Asia-Pacific region is expected to double in 20 years.
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