Australia says global warming pact pointless without India and China
Australia says global warming pact pointless without India and China
mongabay.com
November 1, 2006
Australia said there is “no point” of Australia signing the Kyoto Protocol on global warming unless it applies to China and India too, according to the BBC News web site
“There’s no point in Australia meeting its emissions target if you’re going to have major emitters such as China and India, which are increasing every year their emissions by more than the total of Australia’s,” said Australia’s Treasurer Peter Costello.
Costello dismissed the new report from the British government warning of server economic consequences of greenhouse gas emissions are not curtailed.
“It will be a significant challenge over the course of this century. But it’s not on a scale of unprecedented challenges,” he said.
Costello added that Australia was on already track to reduce its emissions.
 Great Barrier Reef in Australia |
Costello’s remarks comes after several studies have warned of the potential impact of climate change on Australia. Last year the Australian Medical Association (AMA) and the Australian Conservation Foundation (ACF) warned that higher temperatures could worsen the health of Australians through the spread of tropical disease and heat-related illness, while biologists this summer said that climate warming could adversely affect Australia’s tropical biodiversity and its number one tourist attraction, the Great Barrier Reef. Climate models suggest that much of Australia could become drier with a warmer climate.
The BBC reports that Australian Labor Party leader Kim Beazley, said that he would sign the Kyoto agreement should he come to power in the next round of elections.
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This article uses quotes and information from BBC News and previous mongabay.com articles.