SYDNEY -- Amid exploding energy demand from Asia-Pacific countries, resource-rich Australia has emerged as a leader of planned energy supply and use into the foreseeable future.
Five high users of energy in the Asia-Pacific, including Japan and China, have given energy-resource exporter Australia the responsibility of chairing regional planning to reduce greenhouse-gas emissions from the burning of fossil fuels and of cochairing a task force to achieve better use of renewable energy.
Deals made last week among industry and government leaders at the inaugural Asia Pacific Partnership on Clean Development and Climate meeting in Sydney will go a long way toward balancing the weaknesses of the Kyoto Protocol. It is because of deficiencies showing up since the United Nations took a first brave step at Kyoto that these countries, consuming half the world's energy and belching much of its greenhouse gases, came to Sydney and talked practical solutions.