Australian Prime Minister John Howard today reiterated his opposition to targets for cutting the greenhouse gas emissions that cause global warming. Speaking to reporters after meeting with state government leaders in Canberra, Howard said he had rejected a call to set a target of reducing Australia's emissions by 60 per cent. "We were unwilling, for reasons I've stated publicly, to commit to a particular target because of the possible consequences of that on the economy," the prime minister said. According to the Associated Press, the Howard government has come under pressure to join every other developed country other than the United States and sign the Kyoto Protocol on curbing climate change. As well as giving signatories legally binding targets for reducing emissions, Kyoto provides for a carbon emissions trading system among signatories. Until this year Howard was scathing even of the notion of global warming and against any global initiative to introduce carbon trading. -- SPA
