Greenhouse needs new plan, says Australia

The United States is the biggest producer of carbon dioxide and other greenhouse gases

In this story: Australian call slammed U.S. pulls out RELATED STORIES

ADELAIDE, Australia -- The international community has to start a new process for cutting global greenhouse gases, Australia's environment minister has said.

The comments by minister Robert Hill at a global greens conference on Sunday follow last month's decision by the United States to reject the Kyoto treaty on global warming.

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The Kyoto agreement was "a good starting point" for global initiatives, despite shortcomings relating particularly to developing nations, but Hill said it would founder without the U.S.

"I don't think Kyoto can last without the United States," he told a television station ahead of talks between 40 nations in New York this week.

"However if the United States is not going to accept it, then we have to work out the next step forward because the problem is not going to go away," Hill said, noting predictions were worsening of the potential impact of global climate change.

Australian call slammed

Scientists believe gases trap heat in the earth's atmosphere

Australia's call for a new approach was condemned by international environmental groups attending the three-day meeting in Canberra and seeking to forge a global greens charter.

Hill said Australian Prime Minister John Howard had written to U.S President George W. Bush stressing the importance of a global solution and noting that Australia was committed to its own program of cutting greenhouse emissions.

"I am of the view that United States' leadership is essential if efforts to address global climate change are to be successful," said Howard in the letter to Bush.

Although Australia shared the U.S view on Kyoto's shortcomings, particularly its failure to bind developing nations, the U.S now seems to have changed course.

"Our approach . . . has been to try to resolve those shortcomings," Hill said.

"That's been the U.S administration position to date, but now they seem to be drawing a line in the sand and saying 'that's not achievable'," he said.

"It's better to start a new process."

U.S. pulls out

The U.S, the world's biggest producer of carbon dioxide and other greenhouse gases, said last month it would abandon the Kyoto Protocol, which called on industrial countries to cut carbon dioxide and other gas emissions by an average 5.2 percent below 1990 levels by 2012.

Scientists widely believe that greenhouse gas emissions trap heat in the earth's atmosphere and contribute to global warming.

The U.S decision sparked harsh criticism from many countries, including the 15-nation European Union (E.U).

Forty nations from the E.U., the developing world, and an umbrella group comprising Australia, Japan, Canada and New Zealand, are to meet in New York on April 21 to discuss the problem.

Hill said he hoped for an early breakthrough.

"I hope by the end of this coming week we will have a better picture as to where we're going to go as an international community because we have to find a way forward," he said.

Reuters contributed to this report.

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