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The eight Labor premiers and chief ministers last night agreed to cut greenhouse gas emissions by 60% by 2050, using $3 billion of their own funding.
The announcement came on the eve of today’s Council of Australian Governments (COAG) meeting with Prime Minister John Howard.
Australian Associated Press today reported that the state leaders last night called on the prime minister to endorse their timeline for implementing the scheme.
They also urged the Federal Government to take part in its planning, legislation and implementation, but said they would set up the scheme with or without the prime minister’s support.
Howard reportedly said he would not be making any decisions on a carbon trading scheme until the taskforce he appointed on emissions trading reports back to him at the end of next month.
The decision to embrace firm targets pushes the states into line with Opposition Leader Kevin Rudd, who said it did not matter whether the initiatives came from the states or Canberra, so long as it led to greenhouses gases being cut soon.
