Australia central to global pollution problem: Greens

Greens Leader Christine Milne is at the UN climate talks in Lima and says there are serious questions being asked about Australia's role, as the high level negotiations get underway.

"Foreign Minister Bishop is suggesting the solutions to global warming are not the responsibility of high per-capita emitting countries, but that claim will fail to impress anyone. Australia is pushing fossil fuel pollution as hard and fast as it can with its coal exports," said Senator Milne.

"It is a real worry that Australia is now talking about changing the Kyoto accounting rules. From Minister Bishop's statement about soil carbon in particular, it's clear that Australia will be trying to weaken the Kyoto rules to prop up its doomed Direct Action plan. Soil carbon is currently excluded.

"Julie Bishop is trying to suggest that Australia does not have major role to play in dealing with global warming. We do. Australia is a major exporter of fossil fuel pollution. Every coal ship that leaves Australia is driving global warming.

"Australia's business model is broken. Our dig it up, cut it down economy is incompatible with the clean, sustainable future the whole world needs to embrace," said Senator Milne.

"We could be a leader in powering the new low-carbon economy, using and exporting clean energy technology instead of coal. Just today there's news out that Australian researchers have created the worlds' most efficient solar cells.

"Tony Abbott and Greg Hunt have to abandon their attack on the Renewable Energy Target. Killing jobs and investment in this growing industry is madness. It's holding Australia back, making sure we remain part of the problem, and wasting our opportunity to capitalise on the solution."