Northern Territory News
By: Ben Langford
Territorians are by far the nation's worst greenhouse polluters with per capita emissions almost double the next highest state.
And NT greenhouse emissions are on the rise, up from 13.5 million tonnes in 2005 to 16.2 million in 2006.
The National Greenhouse Inventory shows the NT rate is about 76.4 tonnes per person per year. Queensland's figure is 40.8, New South Wales 23.4 and South Australia 17.7.
Environmentalists called for an end to large-scale land clearing as a short-term measure.
World Wildlife Fund northern landscapes manager Stuart Blanch said this would save more than a million tonnes a year.
"Major land clearing has a devastating impact on the Territory's unique wildlife and has resulted in 1.15 million tonnes of greenhouse gas emissions,'' he said.
"Failure by governments to halt the emissions increase is gross neglect.''
Chief Minister and Minister for Climate Change Paul Henderson would not say if any action would be taken about land clearing.
But he said most of the Northern Territory's emissions came from savannah burning.
Mr Henderson said the Government was calling for submissions on the NT Climate Change Issues discussion paper -- which "will help shape future policy to tackle climate change''.
The Government's figures show savannah burning in 2005 accounted for 35 per cent of emissions, energy creation 28 per cent and agriculture 21 per cent.
The discussion paper says heavy airconditioner usage in the tropics means more electricity use.