'Beyond Kyoto' pact in the offing
The United States, Australia, China, India and South Korea are likely to unveil this week a regional pact to combat greenhouse gas emissions by developing environmentally friendly energy technology, Australia said on Wednesday.
Environment Minister Ian Campbell said the countries had been working on a regional pact to tackle climate change beyond the Kyoto protocol, which requires rich nations to cut greenhouse gas emissions by 5.2 percent below 1990 levels by 2008-12.
The United States and Australia have refused to sign Kyoto, which came into force in February, because they say the pact unfairly excludes developing nations such as India and China. South Korea has ratified Kyoto.
For all latest news, follow The Daily Star's Google News channel. "It's quite clear the Kyoto protocol won't get the world to where it wants to go ... We have got to find something that works better -- Australia is working on that with partners around the world," Campbell told reporters on Wednesday.
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