How silly does Abbott look now.
What an absolute stuffwit.
Labor, Greens seize on US-China climate deal to attack Coalition policy on eve of G20Labor and the Greens have seized on a historic climate change deal struck by the US and China to launch a blistering attack on the Abbott government's climate policy, arguing Australia is going backwards in tackling climate change, accused Prime Minister Tony Abbott of holding "flat earth views" and urging greater emissions reductions.
The deal comes on the eve of the G20 summit in Brisbane, which both US President Barack Obama and President Xi Jinping will attend, and significantly ratchets up pressure on Mr Abbott, who has been reluctant to even discuss climate change at the economic summit. Climate change is conspicuously absent from major items on the agenda at the summit.
The US and Chinese presidents announced on Wednesday the US would target much deeper emissions cuts of 26 to 28 per cent below 2005 levels by 2025, while China to cap its emissions growth by 2030, or sooner if possible - a commitment with potentially significant implications for Australian exports of coal to China.
It also set an ambitious goal of increasing the share of non-fossil fuels to 20 per cent of the country's energy mix by 2030. An equivalent target for Australia to the US pledge would be a 30 per cent reduction in emissions against 2000 levels by 2025.Earlier this year, Australia scrapped its carbon tax and environmental groups now question whether the Coalition's replacement Direct Action policy can reach the stated target of a five per cent reduction by 2020.
Mr Shorten said on Wednesday the "historic and ambitious" agreement showed global leadership from the US and China.
Read more:
http://www.smh.com.au/federal-politics/political-news/labor-greens-seize-on-uschina-climate-deal-to-attack-coalition-policy-on-eve-of-g20-20141112-11l6e1.html#ixzz3IpWS2g00