NSW: Hill to fly to New York for greenhouse talks

AAP General News (Australia)
04-12-2001
NSW: Hill to fly to New York for greenhouse talks

SYDNEY, April 12 AAP - Federal Environment Minister Robert Hill will travel to New
York tomorrow to resume international talks on greenhouse gas emissions.

On the agenda is continued negotiations on the Kyoto Protocol - the global agreement
aiming to cut greenhouse gas levels.

"I am there for the Commission on Sustainable Development and a range of associated
climate change meetings which are designed as a continuation of the last meeting being
held at the Hague late last year," Senator Hill said today.

Weaknesses within the Kyoto in relation to developing countries would be addressed, he said.

Senator Hill will also meet his ministerial counterparts in the US.

"The United States is the key player," he said.

"It's 25 per cent of global emissions, it's the world's largest economy, it has the
greatest capacity to significantly address this global environmental issue.

"I will be urging their continued participation and leadership towards a better global outcome."

The Kyoto deal, named after the Japanese town in which it was agreed in 1997, commits
industrialised countries to cut their greenhouse gas emissions by an average of five per
cent of 1990 levels by 2012.

The United States has rejected the deal on the grounds that it would hurt the US economy
and was unfair because developing countries, including China and India, did not have to
limit their growing emissions.

AAP las/rp/mg/br

KEYWORD: GREENHOUSE

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