The imminent demise of the failed Carbon Pollution Reduction Scheme provides the perfect opportunity for the Rudd Government to move immediately on strong climate action and jobs creation, the Australian Greens said today.

"With the Continue Polluting Regardless Scheme now set for rejection in the Senate, it is more important than ever that the Government moves rapidly on emissions reducing and jobs creating policies," said Australian Greens Deputy Leader, Senator Christine Milne.

"The Coalition's move for delay will kill this bill, so it's time to move on with serious action to create jobs and reduce emissions.

"The Greens are now stepping up our campaign for a gross feed-in tariff for renewable energy, for investment in energy efficiency and an intelligent grid, for forest protection and for a roll-out of public transport and cyclepaths.

"There is no excuse for holding Australia back from the jobs boom that a transition to zero emissions will deliver.

"It would be easy for the Government to move straight away with its renewable energy target as well as the Greens' more ambitious feed-in tariff bill.

"The Government must now begin discussions with the Greens to develop an environmentally robust and economically efficient emissions trading scheme."

The Government has refused to negotiate to green up the CPRS, preferring instead to court the Coalition by making it even less environmentally effective and more economically inefficient. The Greens will oppose this fundamentally flawed legislation.

"The Greens oppose the CPRS as it would fail to protect the climate and fail to transform the economy into the zero emissions powerhouse it can and must become.

"The Continue Polluting Regardless Scheme would undermine the Copenhagen negotiations by giving other countries an excuse to lower their level of ambition.

"The Continue Polluting Regardless Scheme would pay over $16 billion to polluters instead of helping the community reduce their impact on the climate.

"The Continue Polluting Regardless Scheme would sandbag the old, polluting economy, instead of bringing on the transformation to a 21st century zero emissions powerhouse.

"The CPRS's imminent demise is the best opportunity for real climate action Australia has had since the election of the Rudd Government."