US/Australian Kyoto "Alternative" Meet To Feature Tech Talk, Little Else

[hatrack]

THE role of nuclear power and technological fixes to rising greenhouse gas emissions will be discussed by six of the world's largest power consumers in Sydney next week. But there will be no mention of targets or timetables for reducing the gases that cause global warming. "China and India are simply not interested in that sort of target approach," the Minister for the Environment, Ian Campbell, told the Herald yesterday. "Targets are a proxy for not doing the hard work.

"There are about 8000 power plants around the world that need to be replaced in the next 30 to 40 years, and the hard work is how you replace them with low or zero emissions forms of energy production." The Bureau of Meteorology yesterday released a report showing 2005 was Australia's hottest year on record. Unlike the previous record years - 1988, 1998 and 2002 - the result cannot be explained by El Nino events. Instead, the report says, it was due to climate change. Senator Campbell said the results were further evidence that climate change was real. "The main thing is not to alarm people, but it's a long-term trend that temperatures are moving in the one direction," he said. "It's the hottest year, the hottest decade, the hottest minimum and the hottest maximum."

Next week's inaugural meeting of the Asia Pacific Partnership on Clean Development and Climate, hosted by Australia, will be attended by ministers from the United States, Japan, China, India and South Korea. So-called technological solutions to containing greenhouse gas emissions - such as geothermal energy and capturing and storing gases underground - will be high on the agenda. Large-scale investment will be needed if many of the ideas are to have a short-term role in checking global warming. The role of nuclear power will also be discussed.

"For a number of the nations that are coming it will play a real part," Senator Campbell said. "Different countries have different advantages, and each region should pursue what is the best low-emissions fuel for them." Business representatives have been invited to participate in the talks. But there is concern that next week's event will be little more than a talkfest.


EDIT

http://www.ecoearth.info/articles/reader.asp?linkid=50172

[phantom power]

1. "Targets are a proxy for not doing the hard work"

That's an odd statement. I would say exactly the opposite. Comitting to a target is what allows progress to be measured.

[NNadir]

2. Exactly. The targets should be agressive, very agressive.

[Dead_Parrot]

3. Interesting...

I would have thought giving soundbites to the press were a proxy for not doing work.

[rfkrfk]

4. The EU needs to make cuts, not just have targets

'targets' allow the EU to do nothing,

so, guess what the EU is doing ... next to nothing

tac on jet fuel for international flight, nothing, not a penny