By Rich Bowden:

The Australian Greens have said the 2010 federal election will be fought on the issue of climate change saying the country should now show world leadership in cutting carbon emissions after the failure of the Copenhagen climate talks.

Leader of the Greens, Senator Bob Brown has criticised Prime Minister Rudd’s policy of a 5 to 25 percent cut in carbon emissions depending on the determination of other countries, calling it inadequate. He said Australia should lift its cuts to a level of 40 percent based on 1990 levels by 2020.

“The 2010 poll is shaping up as a vote for or against Australia taking a lead in fixing global warming below 1.5 degrees,” Senator Brown said in a press release. “That means a 2020 target of reducing the nation’s greenhouse gas emissions by 40 percent over 1990 levels and, in doing so, taking action for the rest of this threatened world to follow,” he added.

Senator Brown also took aim at the Opposition’s policy on climate change.

“Kevin Rudd’s target range of 5-25 percent needs lifting to responsibly meet the need. Tony Abbott’s got no effective target – so he is taxing everyone’s patience. Where is his plan to tackle the polluters?”

Senator Brown’s colleague, Senator Christine Milne, was equally scathing of the world’s leaders – including Mr Rudd – failure to reach a legally binding agreement at the key climate talks in Copenhagen.

Greens leader Sen. Bob Brown. Credit mugley/flickr

“The near collapse of these talks is thanks to the complete failure of developed world leaders, including Mr Rudd, to understand the depth of global commitment to real action on the climate crisis,” the Australian Greens Deputy Leader,  said in a statement from Copenhagen.

She said the industrialised nations failed to enter into any meaningful negotiations with the developing world.

“The rich world demanded compromises from the developing world but offered none itself.”

“Kevin Rudd, Barack Obama and other leaders completely misread the commitment of the developing world to the Kyoto Protocol structures and to the serious emissions reduction targets needed to deliver a safe climate,” she added.

Speaking to Engage Media from the Danish capital, Senator Milne blamed the “political power play” between the United States and China for the lack of any binding agreement.

Tags: australian greens, christine milne, COP15, copenhagen climate talks, ets, Senator Bob Brown