Australia´s Climate Change Policy Statement - Our Economy, Our Environment, Our Future

On 17 July 2007, the Government released its much anticipated "Climate Change Policy - our economy, our environment, our future". The policy statement's ultimate objective is to "contribute to achieving global reductions in emissions that will avoid dangerous climate change while maintaining the strength of Australia's economy.

The policy statement's emphasis on Australia's small overall contribution of greenhouse gases illustrates the Government's long held view that until major emitters, such as China, commit to reducing emissions, nothing Australia does alone will materially affect the climate. A contrasting view, however, is that Australia ranks highly in terms of emissions per capita.