September 18, 2006 04:06pm
Article from: AAP
AUSTRALIA could cut greenhouse emissions by 30 per cent by 2030 if it delayed building new power plants, an environmental group said today.
The Worldwide Fund for Nature (WWFN) released a report today which says energy saving technologies would reduce the need for new power plants and bring about massive greenhouse improvements.
"The report shows we can postpone the need for new power stations by up to a decade using existing energy efficiency measures," WWFN energy policy officer James Duggie said.
"Climate change experts around the world agree that greenhouse gas emissions must be reduced by 60 per cent by 2050 in order to avoid the most damaging effects of climate change."
Prime Minister John Howard raised the prospect of nuclear fuelled power stations when he was in the US in May, because they emit far less greenhouse gas than coal powered stations.
But Mr Duggie says it's possible to postpone any form of new power plant for another decade.
"The sooner we take the cost-effective energy efficient measures outlined in the report ... the more confident we can be that the process of reducing emissions is as smooth as possible and future shocks to the economy can be avoided," Mr Duggie said.
http://www.news.com.au/story/0,23599,20432154-1702,00.html
