The Coalition has declared its backing for Australia’s involvement in a second round of the Kyoto Protocol climate pact - a pledge that goes even further than the Gillard government’s present stance.
Despite past resistance to Kyoto under John Howard, Coalition climate action spokesman Greg Hunt has given ”in-principle support” to Australia’s involvement in a second round of the Kyoto deal, after the first round expires in December.
His remarks came as new polling showed strong voter support for participation in international climate deals, including ”Kyoto 2”.
Although Kyoto is regarded as flawed because it does not mandate targets for emerging economies such as China, India and Brazil, a second round is seen as a vital interim measure while a broader climate deal involving all major emitters is hammered out after 2015.
”Our clear goal and intention is to be part of a further commitment period but of course we would need to see the final terms,” Mr Hunt told The Age. ”This is a bridge to a full international agreement.
”What the world really needs is to bring China and India and Indonesia on board, to bring Russia and Brazil on board. I think it will be easier to strike a 2016 agreement to commence in 2020, if there is a Kyoto 2.”
Green groups have welcomed the remarks as reassurance that the Coalition would stick to Australia’s international obligations on cutting greenhouse emissions. The Gillard government has not yet declared whether it will join Kyoto 2, although it advocates a broader international pact.
Mr Hunt’s remarks came as a survey commissioned by the World Wildlife Fund found 58 per cent of people believe Australia should be part of Kyoto 2, 21 per cent oppose involvement and 22 per cent don’t know.
The survey by Auspoll found that more Coalition voters support involvement than oppose it - 42 per cent compared with 34 per cent.
Australia has pledged to cut its greenhouse emissions by at least 5 per cent and up to 25 per cent below 2000 levels by 2020. Kyoto 2 would create a legally binding target, although if Australia were to sign up, it would most likely commit only to the lower 5 per cent target.
The WWF’s Will McGoldrick said the pressure was ”now on the government to end the speculation and commit to joining phase two of the Kyoto protocol”.
The polling showed that ”while Australians may remain divided on the issue of a carbon price, they want Australia to take action against climate change”, he said.
John Connor, chief executive of the Climate Institute, said: ”These are very welcome comments that recognise the importance of the Kyoto framework as a building block for a global agreement.”
But Climate Change Minister Greg Combet said Mr Hunt’s remarks displayed the Coalition’s ”deep hypocrisy and dishonesty” on climate change and would ”give Tony Abbott a shock”.
”Tony Abbott has claimed for months that Australia is acting alone and the rest of the world is doing nothing. Mr Hunt’s comments directly contradict Mr Abbott,” he said.
