Australian Greens Leader Christine Milne says the Abbott government must drop its attack on the Renewable Energy Target, as new ABS data confirms renewable energy is hugely popular and a growth market for Australia.

"In three short years the number of Australian households using solar energy has quadrupled from around five per cent to 20 per cent," said Senator Milne.

"At this rate, we're looking at a bright, clean, sustainable future for Australia, but Tony Abbott's Coalition needs to stop demonising renewables.

The Greens are warning Victoria will suffer devastating job losses and hits to the local economy if a plan to phase out the dirtiest power stations isn't put in place before they fail.

"The closure of old Victorian power stations is inevitable," said Australian Greens Leader Christine Milne.

"With huge excess power supply and last century technology, they will become junk assets within the next five years, unable to compete with cheap, cleaner energy.

Australian Greens Leader Christine Milne has backed the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change on its most comprehensive scientific assessment to date, which says we will stand no chance of preventing catastrophic
warming if we do not leave the majority of the world's fossil fuel reserves in the ground.

"Coal is bad for humanity, and so is Tony Abbott's denial of global warming science," said Senator Milne.

The Australian Greens say coal miner Clive Palmer has helped our climate denier Prime Minister to demolish emissions trading in favour of a complete sham that benefits coal miners and polluters.

"Coal miner Clive Palmer has worked with the climate denier Abbott government to deliver a huge win for coal miners and big polluters," Greens Leader Christine Milne said.

"The dodgy and misnamed Direct Action policy will not reduce pollution. It has absolutely no substance at all.

Australian Greens Leader Christine Milne has commended the leaders of the European Union for today setting an emissions reduction target of 40 per cent by 2030, saying Australia's 2020 target is disastrously inadequate and must be drastically increased for 2030.

"For the health of our communities and the health of our economy, Tony Abbott needs to pull his head out of the sand and get real about action on climate change," said Senator Milne.

Responding to the decision by Keppel Prince to mothball its entire wind turbine division and lay off 100 workers, Greens Leader Christine Milne says the Abbott government has taken a wrecking ball to the industry that holds the best hope of providing future jobs and investment in Australia.

"The Abbott government is destroying jobs now and Australia's best hope of future investment beyond the mining boom in order to protect its billionaire mates in the coal industry," Greens Leader Christine Milne said.

Australian Greens Leader Christine Milne says the Renewable Energy Target policy announced by Industry Minister Ian Macfarlane adopts key recommendations from the discredited Warburton review and should be rejected by the Labor party.

"There is absolutely no reason, and no excuse, for weakening the Renewable Energy Target. The Labor Party must stand firm and reject this deal outright," said Senator Milne.