Australia is set to approve measures giving polluters financial incentives to reduce emissions blamed for climate change, in a move critics described as ineffective environmental policy.
The so-called "direct action" plan, which will see the government pay companies to increase energy efficiency, passed through the upper house Senate early Friday. The bill is expected to be approved next month by the lower House of Representatives.
China and the United States are the world's worst emitters of greenhouse gases, according to a report by international scientists issued last month, but Australia's output is considered high per capita.
The government's Aus$2.55 billion (S$2.87 billion) Emissions Reduction Fund is part of the government's plan to meet its emissions reduction target of five per cent below 2000 levels by 2020.
Under the plan, competitive auctions will be held, with the government entering into contracts to buy emissions reductions from successful bidders at the lowest cost.
The emissions reductions would be "real and significant" as payments would only be made when the pollution cuts occur.
But the Labor opposition leader Bill Shorten criticized the scheme, describing it as "paying big polluters to keep polluting, which is terrible policy".
The policy has also been slammed by the Greens party, with leader Christine Milne saying there was "no modeling or any evidence to suggest it will do anything at all to reduce pollution".
PHOTO: Steam and other emissions are seen coming from funnels at a chemical manufacturing facility in Melbourne June 24, 2009.
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