Posted on 04/02/2007 8:51:52 PM PDT by NormsRevenge
CANBERRA (AFP) - Australian Prime Minister John Howard fired a broadside at the European Union Tuesday for criticising his climate change policy, saying it should get its own house in order before attacking others.
The counter-strike came a day after EU Environment Commissioner Stavros Dimas accused Australia of having a "negative attitude" and refusing to sign the Kyoto Protocol on climate change for political reasons rather than economic ones.
But Howard, who is under intense domestic pressure ahead of elections later this year over what critics claim was a failure by his government to tackle climate change, would have none of it.
"You've got the spokesman for a group of countries lecturing us about not having signed Kyoto," he told the Australian Broadcasting Corporation (ABC).
"Yet the great bulk of the countries on whose behalf he speaks are falling well behind their Kyoto targets and are doing less well in meeting them," he fumed.
"Our answer to the spokesman for the European Union is: Look to your own affairs, get your countries complying with the targets you have proclaimed," Howard said.
Australia and its ally the United States are the only major industrialised nations to have rejected ratifying the UN's Kyoto pact.
But Howard insisted that Australia was one of the few industrialised nations to meet what would be its targets under the protocol.
"We should be very wary of European lectures on this issue," he said.
"(They) are very different to the Australian economy and we would doing our country a lot of damage if we applied European solutions to a completely different Australian situation."
As UN scientists prepared a report likely to issue grim warnings about climate change, Dimas on Monday pointedly characterised the United States as the "number one emitter" of fossil-fuel pollution in the world.
He also expressed incomprehension at Australia's recalcitrant stance.
"I can really not understand why Australia has not ratified Kyoto. If you ratify Kyoto it will cost you one-third of what it costs you now... it's purely political," he said.
Sydney Harbour Bridge remains fully lit on 31 March when the rest of the city went dark in a self-imposed blackout to raise awareness of global warming. Australian Prime Minister John Howard fired a broadside at the European Union Tuesday for criticising his climate change policy, saying it should get its own house in order before attacking others(AFP/File/Anoek De Groot)
Gotta love Howard.
I wish W. would fight opponents’ propaganda as aptly as John Howard does. The “don’t dignify it with a response” approach is a loser. Bravo, John Howard!
Cheney is about the only one in office who lets it rip, unfortunately,,
Bolton isn’t around to do it.
BS, Dimas. What about China? And, BTW, the US has voluntarily reduced its alleged "emissions" without signing that economy-killer, Koyoto, while the countries which signed on to it haven't come anywhere close to their "goals." Bravo, John Howard! Make them cry.
Howard is great!
Ha! Love the subtitle!
Seeing as how the report came from a Socialist/Commie Paris based news service, I thought it painted Howard in a complimentary fashion. I like Howard!
If only he were our next president...
Howard
B U M P
Seriously ping Aussie freepers MONK LOL!
Now I hanging out in Down Under BOY DO I get around
The EUR-human forgets that even as we speak China is starting up a new coal-burning plant and unlike Europe their economy is growing like mad. SDo what does he say to China?
Bloody EuroFrogs can all get stuffed!!!
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