Oz Opposition Leader - Howard Has No Authority To Press China, India On Climate

[hatrack]

Prime Minister John Howard has no authority to encourage China and India to do more to tackle global warming because of his own refusal to do so, Opposition Leader Kevin Rudd says.

Mr Rudd said Mr Howard lacked the credentials to speak on global warming in discussions with ASEAN leaders during the East Asia Summit (EAS) this week because of his refusal to ratify the Kyoto protocol and meet United Nations mandatory targets for greenhouse gas reduction.

But he said climate change needed to be one of Mr Howard's top priorities during discussions as its effects would have "huge" repercussions for the region's economy.

"Mr Howard says, 'I don't believe in Kyoto, therefore how can I turn around to the Chinese and Indians and say you should take Kyoto or Kyoto plus seriously?'," Mr Rudd told reporters. "The problem is he has no credentials when it comes to climate change and therefore it's very hard for him to argue a case to other countries which loom very large in terms of Australia's climate change future."

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