The Australian
By: Dennis Shanahan, Matthew Franklin
The Rudd government has committed to introducing an emissions trading scheme with a floating carbon market in 2012 regardless of what the rest of the world does to cut greenhouse gas emissions.
Penny Wong yesterday revealed Australia's target for greenhouse gas emissions cuts by 2020 under the Copenhagen Accord would be an unconditional, minimum of 5 per cent and a possible maximum of 25 per cent, with an emissions trading scheme using a market price for carbon in 2012.
The 5 per cent target is the minimum the government had announced before the UN's Copenhagen climate conference in December. It has Tony Abbott's support, although the Coalition and Greens oppose the government's proposed ETS.
The Climate Change Minister said the government was committed to starting an emissions trading scheme next year with a fixed price for a year, and would not be deterred from introducing a market price for carbon if the rest of the world failed to act on greenhouse gas emissions.
Chances of the government getting its Carbon Pollution Reduction Scheme through the Senate looked hopeless last night with the Coalition declaring an ETS was unnecessary to meet a target of 5 per cent and the Greens demanding even higher targets.
The new carbon reduction bill, due to be introduced to parliament on Tuesday, is expected to be rejected, starting the process for yet another double-dissolution election trigger on climate change.
Last night the Coalition said the government's decision to keep the existing, agreed minimum of 5 per cent was a "humiliating backdown'' and that a 5 per cent reduction in greenhouse gases could be achieved without a costly emissions trading scheme.
Opposition climate change spokesman Greg Hunt said the Coalition had accepted a target of 5 per cent cuts and "there is no doubt that target can be met without an ETS''.
The Greens -- whose representatives Senator Wong will meet next week to discuss the new bill for a carbon pollution reduction scheme, and their calls for an extension of the fixed carbon price -- accused the government of a lack of leadership and setting back world efforts to fight greenhouse gases.
Australia is one of the few countries to meet the January 31 Copenhagen deadline for declaring its action to cut greenhouse gases, but has not nominated a specific target and will not do so until next year at least.
Yesterday Senator Wong said the Rudd government was "committed to tackling climate change both nationally and internationally because it is in Australia's national interest and critical for our future''.
Senator Wong said Australia would not raise its target above 5 per cent until "global ambitions'' became clear, including verifiable reductions from China and India.
Greens deputy Senate leader Christine Milne said: "Kevin Rudd and Penny Wong have just confirmed that they do not have what it takes to provide leadership. They are part of the problem, not part of the solution.''
Earlier yesterday the opposition scoffed at Labor attempts to discredit its so far unannounced climate change policies, accusing it of desperately fabricating data as part of "the mother of all scare campaigns''.
Mr Hunt accused the government of wasting resources to "trump up'' a costing of policies that the Coalition has not released.
On Tuesday Senator Wong claimed Mr Abbott's proposals to reduce carbon emissions by planting trees and burying carbon in soil would cost $10 billion and achieve only one third of the 5 per cent cut in emissions planned for 2020.
Her claim came despite the fact that the Opposition Leader was yet to release promised polices for direct action to reduce carbon emissions.