PERTH (Reuters) – Australia Prime Minister Kevin Rudd said on Sunday he saw no case for delaying the startup of a carbon trading scheme beyond 2010, adding that the Reserve Bank saw no inflationary pressure arising from the scheme.
Australia’s left-leaning Labor government has promised to introduce a national carbon trading scheme by 2010 in order to curb Greenhouse gas emissions. But the Opposition has expressed skepticism at the timeframe and has asked for delays. “Our ambitions remains the 2010 timeframe. We don’t believe that there is a case for delay,” Rudd told ABC television.
“And part of the reason is because time for Australia is running out, and we can’t keep putting these things off.”
Australia, the world’s top per-head greenhouse gas polluter, laid out a blueprint on Friday for slashing its impact, with the government’s top climate guru unveiling a draft trading system to fight carbon emissions.
Respected economist Ross Garnaut, appointed by the government to design what will be the world’s most extensive emissions regime from 2010, urged inclusion of energy and transport, but said big corporates whose foreign rivals are free to pollute should be mollified with compensation.
Recent Comments