The most senior minister from the Conservative-led British coalition Government to visit Australia will today lay out his nation’s ambitious plan to combat climate change, as debate continues over whether global warming has contributed to devastating floods in several states.
Foreign Affairs Minister William Hague will deliver two speeches in Sydney where he will promote British Prime Minister David Cameron’s vision for his coalition administration to be the “greenest government ever.”
In contrast, the Federal Government’s policy is unclear and Prime Minister Julia Gillard is waiting for a committee to recommend whether to proceed with an emissions trading scheme or adopt a carbon tax.
Mr Hague said flood experts from Britain would be sent to south-east Queensland to give advice on how the region could cope with future deluges. Mr Hague and British Defence Secretary Liam Fox are in Australia for talks with their Australian counterparts, Kevin Rudd and Stephen Smith, on Afghanistan, terrorism, national security and climate change.
Despite the lack of senior British ministers visiting Australia in the past two decades, they agreed to make the AUKMIN talks an annual event from now on.
The communique issued after the talks said that both governments were committed to ”promoting swift action to reduce greenhouse gas emissions” at home and overseas.
”Action on climate change is urgent and cannot wait for the signature of an international treaty,” it said.
