Five sign pact on climate

CANBERRA - The United States, Australia, China, India and South Korea are likely to unveil later this week a regional pact to combat greenhouse gas emissions, an Australian Government official says.

The official confirmed a report in the Australian newspaper, which said the secretly negotiated pact to tackle climate change would be known as the Asia-Pacific Partnership for Clean Development and Climate.

The Australian said it would aim to use technology to "rein in greenhouse gas emissions" but the official said that unlike the Kyoto Protocol, the new agreement would not be focused on reaching specific greenhouse gas emission targets.

"Australia is ahead of Kyoto targets already, unlike many who signed, so targets are not the point - results are," the official said.

Under Kyoto, rich nations are meant to cut emissions of heat-trapping gases from power plants, cars and factories by 5.2 per cent below 1990 levels by 2008-12 to try to slow what many scientists say could be catastrophic climatic changes.

The US and Australia have refused to sign Kyoto, which came into force in February after years of delays because they say the pact unfairly excludes developing nations.

South Korea has ratified Kyoto, but India and China are considered developing countries and, therefore, exempt.

"The real answer to global emissions reduction is engaging China and India and the big emitters that don't have commitments under Kyoto," Australian Environment Minister Ian Campbell said. The Australian said the five countries involved in the Asia-Pacific pact accounted for more than 40 per cent of the world's greenhouse gas emissions.

It said Prime Minister John Howard and Indian PM Manmohan Singh separately discussed the pact with US President George W. Bush in Washington this month.

- REUTERS