TONY Abbott has foiled Barack Obama’s attempt to hijack the G20 with climate change, refusing to put a cent into the US President’s push for a $10 billion global green climate fund.
And as chair of the G20, he succeeded in ensuring global economic growth and job creation was at the top of the final declaration yesterday, delivering a blow to Mr Obama’s attempts to elevate climate change to a first order issue of the world leader’s meeting.
In one of the rare instances of an Australian leader standing up to a US President on a major policy issue, Mr Abbott refused to allow the final communiqué to include a binding requirement that all G20 nations commit to the Green Climate Fund announced by Mr Obama on Saturday at University of Queensland.
Several Australian officials, however, said privately that it had been “discourteous” of the US President to grandstand on the issue as a guest in Australia — this year’s host of the G20.
But The Daily Telegraph can reveal Mr Abbott told world leaders behind closed doors at the G20 summit yesterday that he would “stand up for coal” during a robust debate on climate change.
He stared down the world’s most powerful leaders to fight for Australia’s $60 billion industry.
And he refused to give Mr Obama a commitment to contribute funds to the “climate bank” which would assist poor nations combat climate change — a fund he once described as “socialism masquerading as environmentalism”.
According to sources close to the discussions, Mr Abbott was “frank” in arguing against Mr Obama in the meeting. Mr Abbott was supported by others in the room including Canadian Prime Minister Stephen Harper and Saudi leader Crown Prince Salman bin Abdulaziz.
Despite claims that climate change would dominate the real discussions in the leaders’ meeting, the final communiqué reflected the original draft circulated by Australia in September, which had climate change listed as the 19th point in the document, behind other issues including economic growth, tax, infrastructure and jobs priorities.
But Australia may yet stand alone in abstaining from the fund with Japan, France, the UK, Germany, Korea and Indonesia declaring they would contribute.
The incoming US Republican Senate Majority leader Mitch McConnell declared that the new Republican-controlled Congress would go to war with the President over the coal industry’s future.
Despite the disagreement, Mr Obama last night maintained Australia was still the “closest of allies”.
British Prime Minister David Cameron also said the climate change debate had not impacted his relationship with Mr Abbott.
“We have a very good relationship,” Mr Cameron said.
“Clearly Australia has already set out how it’s going to cut its carbon emissions by some 5 per cent … but I think there’s compelling arguments to say that everyone should look at their own country, think what they should do to help bring about a global deal.”
Mr Abbott did not rule out contributing to the bank and said decisions still had to be made. But sources close to the PM said Australia was putting $2.5 billion into emissions reduction and would not be contributing to the fund.
Mr Abbott said coal was critical to the world’s supply of electricity.
“There are 1.3 billion people who have no access to electricity … we’ve got to give them access to electricity. And coal is going to be an important part of that for decades.’’
source: dailytelegraph.com.au
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