Climate groups condemn gov't

Within 24 hours of the Rudd government's announcement of new changes to the proposed Carbon Pollution Reduction Scheme, 66 climate action groups signed a statement condemning the decision.

In an open letter to the prime minister, the groups said they were "completely shocked by [the] decision yesterday to further weaken Australia's position on climate change".

The groups "strongly oppose [Rudd's] new 2020 emissions reduction target band of 5-25% below 2000 levels".

This is in contrast to the endorsement given to Rudd's announcement by peak environment groups Australian Conservation Foundation, the World Wildlife Fund and the Climate Institute.

The letter said: "Increasing the number of free permits, delaying the scheme by a year and introducing a $10 price cap in the first year, completely flies in the face of the thousands of submissions that were lodged by concerned communities, scientists and individuals."

The letter described Rudd's "climate change 'spin' [as] deceptive and misleading".

The letter urged the government "to treat climate change as the emergency it is, and broker an ambitious new climate deal for Australia that truly addresses the needs of future generations, builds new jobs in ecologically sustainable industries and protects our precious species and habitats".

From GLW issue 794