The Wire

The issue of climate change has resurfaced at a conference, which opened today in Sydney. It is headed by the International Climate Change Taskforce, a think tank of the Australia Institute in Canberra and two other institutes from the United Kingdom and the United States. The taskforce comprises sixteen members among them are three Australians including New South Wales Premier Bob Carr. The aim of the conference is to finalize recommendations to world governments for a new climate treaty. The Kyoto Protocol ends in the year 2012, and the Taskforce hopes to draft ideas for a post-Kyoto climate treaty. But the Kyoto Protocol has still not been ratified by Australia and the United States and the Taskforce realizes that progress will only be effective if all governments are involved. The Taskforce hopes to bring both countries back into the multilateral process. Michael Katerla spoke to Martin Khar, member of the Third World Network which participates in the meeting.