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Howard to launch new climate plan Australia launches climate plans
(about 5 hours later)
The Australian government is set to announce a major new initiative aimed at preventing global warming. The Australian government is launching a major new initiative aimed at preventing global warming.
Much of the planned A$500m (US$379m) investment will go towards reducing carbon emissions from coal - one of Australia's biggest exports. Prime Minister John Howard announced an investment of A$500m (US$379m) in clean technology, much of which will look at reducing carbon emissions from coal.
Prime Minister John Howard said it was in Australia's own interest to discover ways in which the fuel could be used by other countries with lower emissions. Australia, one of the world's biggest exporters in coal, has not signed the 1997 Kyoto agreement saying it would damage its domestic economy.
Australia, like the US, has not signed the Kyoto agreement. But the country has been facing its worst drought in a century.
Because of this, it has long been regarded as something of an environmental villain. Mr Howard has dismissed claims that the drought is the product of long-term climate change.
But water shortages have become a political issue, with the dry conditions destroying the livelihoods of thousands of farmers.
Re-evaluation?Re-evaluation?
Like the Bush administration, the Howard government has argued that the 1997 agreement would damage its domestic economy, which is heavily dependent on exporting coal - a major source of carbon emissions. In his weekly radio address, Mr Howard said Australia would invest in new technologies to cut down emissions from fossil fuel power plants. Some of it would also go towards renewable energy systems.
Parts of Australia are suffering a severe droughtThe prime minister has also dismissed claims that Australia's recent drought, the worst in a century, is the product of long-term climate change. Parts of Australia are suffering a severe drought
But with water shortages becoming a major political issue, and with the dry conditions destroying the livelihoods of thousands of farmers, the Howard government does now appear to be re-evaluating its approach to the environment. "We're all affected in some way by climate change," he said.
A clear sign of that is its decision to unveil this major new investment package to combat greenhouse gas pollution. "We must respond on a number of fronts. There is no one single solution that will reduce greenhouse gas emissions over the years ahead."
Much of the money will be spent on technologies to cut down emissions from fossil fuel power plants. But an Australian environmentalist said the government had "set its course on a technological fix" to deal with climate change and had overlooked the country's renewable energy resources.
Some of it will also go towards renewable energy systems. "We have great wind, solar, bio energy, geothermal potential. We could be exploiting these options and be a real leader in the renewable energy industry," Monica Richter of the Australian Conservation Foundation told the BBC World Today.