Climate change an economic challenge, says PM


The Prime Minister has painted climate change as an enormous economic challenge as well as an environmental one, in an address to the Liberal Party's Federal Council in Sydney.
John Howard has used his main address to outline the Government's response to a task force report into carbon trading, confirming a scheme will be in place in the next four years.
Mr Howard told the gathering Australians must decide who they trust to steer the country through the task of reducing carbon dioxide emissions.
Labor has set a target of 60 per cent cut in emissions by 2050, but the Government is refusing to set a target until next year.
Mr Howard has confirmed a national cap and trade system will be in place no later than 2012.
But he says no target should be set until rigorous economic modelling has been performed, and the response to climate change must be measured but determined.
"The world is not going to come to an end tomorrow because of climate change and we shouldn't imagine for a moment that that is the case," he said.
"But equally we would be foolish indeed to ignore the accumulated scientific evidence that mankind's behaviour has contributed to the process of global warming."
Mr Howard told the council in Sydney that nuclear power must be one of the options for reducing emissions.
"Governments need to let the market sort out the most efficient means of lowering emissions with all low emissions technologies on the table and that of necessity must include nuclear power," he said.
Targets
The Federal Government is under fire for refusing to set a target before the election.
The Industry Minister Ian Macfarlane, once a climate change sceptic, has told Channel Ten he is now well aware of the dangers of global warming.
"I'm a true believer, for want of a better word, in the need to lower greenhouse gas emissions," he said.
Mr Macfarlane says it is not possible to substantially cut pollution without using nuclear energy.
But the Greens Senator Bob Brown has told Channel Nine it is not good enough for the Prime Minister to wait until next year before setting targets for greenhouse gas reduction.
"So his late action means we're going to have maximum impact on the economy and that's right across the board," he said.
'Sensible'
The Environment Minister Malcolm Turnbull is defending the Government's decision to wait until next year before setting pollution reduction targets.
He told the ABC's Insiders program it is a sensible approach.
"Are you going to trust a bunch of fanatics, which is really where Garrett and Rudd are at the moment?" he said.
"They are on a fanatical, moralising campaign blind to the economics, blind to the realities, determined to prove they are greener than the greenest green.
"And if you have policies based on that type of ideology you may feel pure but you will be pure at the price of being very poor."
Mr Turnbull rejects the suggestion that the Government has been in denial on climate change, citing initiatives such as a move away from incandescent light bulbs, and its funding to stop deforestation.
"Labor are the real climate change deniers, they are denying the global perspective of climate change," he said.
"Labor has not thought any of this through."
Print Email