On ABC Radio National Breakfast, Premier Rann said that SA would be 'world leading' by matching the California 'return to 1990 greenhouse pollution levels by 2020' target, going on to claim that his legislation would be, with California, the 'most advanced in the world'.
However, even a cursory examination shows this is wrong. California is currently well above its 1990 pollution levels - in 2002 they were 11.5% above and increasing every year* - so legislation they passed in 2006 to return California to 1990 greenhouse levels was a major and exciting commitment.
Meanwhile, SA is currently well below (6.5% below) its 1990 greenhouse pollution level* - therefore a 'return to 1990 levels' is actually a legislated increase.
"It might be the same words in the target, but the effect is completely different. While California will be helping the world avoid dangerous climate change, it appears Mike Rann is planning for SA to go in the opposite direction.
"No matter how much Premier Rann tries to spin this he can't get around the fact that his greenhouse pollution target for 1990 is a licence to increase, not decrease the state's emissions over the next 13 years.
"For the Greens, that is simply untenable - we simply can not support a target that completely ignores the latest IPCC report, which says the world's greenhouse pollution emissions have to start decreasing by 2015 if we are to have any chance of avoiding dangerous climate change," he said.
