Emissions targets

Even with its pessimistic assumptions on energy efficiency and renewable energy, Treasury modelling released today backs the Greens position that cutting emissions hard and fast makes economic and environmental sense, Australian Greens climate change spokesperson, Senator Christine Milne, said today.

The Rudd Government must immediately abandon plans to reward big polluters with free emissions permits, Australian Greens climate change spokesperson, Senator Christine Milne, said today.

Queensland Premier Anna Bligh has bought into Professor Garnaut's climate change defeatism and chosen to prioritise coal over the Great Barrier Reef, Australian Greens Senator Christine Milne said today.

Rudd must lead globe towards strict targets

The weak targets advocated in the supplementary report from the Garnaut review released today are based on outdated science, risk catastrophic climate change and will undermine global negotiations towards an effective climate treaty,  Australian Greens Senators Bob Brown and Christine Milne said today.

Professor Garnaut must tomorrow recommend stringent 2020 greenhouse gas reductions targets to avoid catastrophic climate change, Australian Greens climate change spokesperson, Senator Christine Milne, said today.

Senator Milne said "The globe is poised on the edge of a number of climate change tipping points any one of which could send us into runaway heating.

Garnaut's advocacy of preserving forests 'spot on'

Opposition Treasury spokesman Malcolm Turnbull is being illogical by proposing overseas forests be preserved as a hedge against climate change while supporting logging in Australia, Australian Greens Leader Bob Brown said today.

Despite the failure of the Luxury Car Tax in the Senate, the Greens today urged the Government to move ahead with investigating a new tax incentive scheme to make green cars cheaper for all Australians.

Australian Greens climate change spokesperson, Senator Christine Milne, today expressed hope that the rumours in today's Crikey email of a disastrously weak emissions reduction target in Professor Garnaut's Supplementary Draft Report are incorrect.

Australian Greens Senator Christine Milne today called on Federal Minister Peter Garrett to draw the same line under the Pulp Mill that Premier David Bartlett has promised, and to help Tasmania regain its global edge as a clean, green and clever state.

The Business Council of Australia's trading scheme recommendations, released today, would utterly undermine the environmental integrity of the emissions trading scheme and drive up costs for ordinary Australians, Senator Christine Milne, Australian Greens climate change spokesperson said today.

"What a shame BCA continue to put their selfish interests ahead of what is clearly in Australia's best interest," Senator Milne said.

"Big polluters always cry that the sky is falling when governments propose schemes to reduce pollution. But every time governments hold firm and introduce their schemes, the polluters clean up their act and get on with business," Senator Milne said.