When APEC (Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation) leaders flew out of Sydney in their private jets, they left behind the legacy of the "Sydney Declaration", hailed by the Australian Prime Minister, John Howard as a historic step in the global fight against climate change. Indeed it is interesting to consider what legacy they left behind, if one worthy of noting at all! Maybe it was clear when George Bush referred to APEC as "OPEC" and then later "IPEC," that the conference wasn’t going to be taken seriously by the world leaders! Australia has recently agreed to make what some view as major changes as a result of this APEC summit. The leaders of 21 Asia-Pacific nations, including the United States, China, Russia and Australia, agreed on September 9 to a non-binding set of “aspirational goals” designed to reduce their contribution to global warming.APEC countries account for around 60 per cent of the world energy demands, and this demand is expected to double by 2030. The Summit represents an important opportunity for some of the world’s largest consumers and suppliers of energy to shape the global agenda on climate change and promote further practical action. All members of the cooperation adopted the ‘Sydney Declaration’ on climate change, which does have some useful targets, such as improving energy efficiency by 25% by 2030, and increasing forest cover in the region by 50 million acres by 2020. A goal which if achieved would store approximately 1.4 billion tons of carbon, or around 11 percent of annual global emissions. Malcolm Turnbull, the environment minister of Australia, said the Sydney Declaration is a significant achievement because it is the first time that China, a major developing world greenhouse gas emitter, has committed to reducing emissions.But is it enough?
Indeed, APEC members have set targets for improving energy efficiency and expanding forests, but nothing in the statement is binding. Julie-Anne Richards from the Climate Action Network says it is too lenient. Greenpeace called the declaration on climate change the ``Sydney Distraction.'' It said the declaration ``distracts from the real solution and ignores the aspirations of the millions of victims of climate change in developing countries.'' The group said the declaration is irrelevant and meaningless in addressing climate change.

As an Australian, I believe that the weak APEC climate declaration is a compelling case for the Australian Government to revisit ratification of Kyoto to ensure Australia’s voice for action on climate change is strengthened in the international arena.And when George Bush later forgot the name of the COUNTRY HE WAS IN (we are not Austria George, that’s in Europe) we knew we were in trouble!What bizarre policies are coming out of your country? Feel free to write a blog entry about what is happening in your countries and send it to me.