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Australians march against climate change | Environment | Reuters

Australians march against climate change

SYDNEY (Reuters) – Tens of thousands of Australians took part in mass protests around the country Saturday to call for tough government action on climate change, organizers said.

The demonstrations were held as Australia prepares to set national greenhouse gas emissions targets, expected around the end of this month. Environmentalists accuse industry of pushing for targets that are likely to compromise the environment.

Australia is the world’s 16th biggest carbon polluter, producing about 1.5 percent of the world’s global emissions. It is the fourth largest emitter per person, with five times the pollution per person of China.

The center-left government will outline its preferred emissions following public consultations involving global miners such as BHP Billiton and power companies like AGL Energy………………………..Cate Faehrmann, executive director of the Nature Conservation Council of New South Wales state, said the march came amid a background of pressure from the fossil fuels industry for the government to adopt relatively soft emissions targets……………..

“There is not enough investment in renewable energy in this country. Job creation can occur there.”

Australia was one of the longest holdouts against the Kyoto protocol, which Prime Minister Kevin Rudd finally committed the country to joining following his landslide election win last year, leaving the United States as the only major country not to have joined it.

Australians march against climate change | Environment | Reuters

Tags: globalwarming

November 15, 2008 - Posted by Christina Macpherson | environment