U.S.-Australia Pacts On Climate, Nukes Near

The Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation Business Summit will be the stage for two new agreements between the United States and Australia, according to stories in the Australian press today. The climate agreement will be a step toward the worldwide post-Kyoto carbon reduction scheme that President Bush has said he wants to foster.

In that vein, unlike Kyoto or models supported by the European Union, it will not impost strict caps on carbon pollution, but rather "aspirational goals," according to a story in the West Australian. There is also doubt about whether the other 19 APEC members will agree even to that goal, which many environmental advocates and world leaders consider too little, too late when confronting the state of the climate.

Several indicators -- like the extent of ice in the Arctic -- have already hit milestones that scientists hadn't expected for decades, indicating that the rate of global warming could be faster than expected, and its impacts more immediate. The two nations are also expected to sign a nuclear pact, according to the Australian. Australia doesn't currently use nuclear power to generate electricity, but this pact would allow it to access U.S. expertise should it decide to start a nuclear program.

Nuclear energy is a controversial potential solution to global warming. While it produces massive amounts of electricity with a fraction of the air pollution associated with traditional fossil fuel sources like coal, oil and natural gas, it comes with other heavy burdens. Notably, waste from nuclear power plants remains radioactive and dangerous for generations, and there is no perfect way to store it. Even with decades of experience with nuclear power, it's a problem the U.S. has yet to solve.

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