Green House

Howard says no to greenhouse targets

Prime Minister John Howard has criticised Labor's embrace of a 60 per cent cut in carbon emissions saying he will not support a target which has unknown economic impacts.

In an important political speech to try to regain support for the Government, Mr Howard set out some of his principles for the upcoming election contest in a speech dubbed "Australia Rising".

Highlighting his strong record in economic management Mr Howard criticised Mr Rudds embracing of "European" green house targets and capitulation to "union power" on industrial relations.

The U.S. government wants the world's scientists to develop technology to block sunlight as a last-ditch way to halt global warming, the Guardian has learned.

It says research into techniques such as giant mirrors in space or reflective dust pumped into the atmosphere would be "important insurance" against rising emissions, and has lobbied for such a strategy to be recommended by a major United Nations report on climate change, the first part of which will be published on Friday, Feb. 2.

The U.S. has also attempted to steer the U.N. report, prepared by the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC), away from conclusions that would support a new worldwide climate treaty based on binding targets to reduce emissions - as sought by Tony Blair.