US, Australia reject Asia-Pacific carbon trade scheme
Hopes for an Asia Pacific-wide carbon emissions trading scheme were dashed on Tuesday as APEC energy ministers met to discuss climate change and the region's booming power needs.
By Agencies |
DARWIN (AUSTRALIA): Hopes for an Asia Pacific-wide carbon emissions trading scheme were dashed on Tuesday as APEC energy ministers met to discuss climate change and the region's booming power needs.
The United States and Australia ruled out a regional carbon trading scheme before the meeting officially opened in the northern city of Darwin, saying it was too early to impose uniform targets on APEC nations.
US Deputy Energy Secretary Clay Sell said each of the 21 countries in the Asia Pacific Economic Cooperation Forum needed a strong economy if it was to address climate change and reduce greenhouse gas emissions.
"Each country brings its own unique circumstances, its own assets, its limitations and the important thing to remember is that a strong economy is the key enabler to addressing the challenge of greenhouse gas emissions," Sell told reporters.
"If you don't have a strong economy you won't be able to afford the technologies that will allow you to reduce greenhouse gases," he said.
Sell said his country had already set a target to reduce carbon intensity by 18 per cent by 2012 but dismissed the idea of a region-wide emissions scheme.
Flanked by Australian Industry Minister Ian Macfarlane, Sell said there was no "one-size-fits-all" solution for APEC, which includes economic powerhouses such as the United States and Japan, as well as emerging giant China.
"Different approaches will naturally suit different countries, one better than the other," Sell said.
"So I think it's appropriate, and I believe it's the sense of all of the APEC economies, that each country must set its own path."
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