Rudd dares Turnbull on ETS

KEVIN Rudd has savaged climate change sceptics as part of a dangerous global push risking the future of the planet through ill-informed prejudice and refusal to accept the scientific evidence of global warming.

KEVIN Rudd has savaged climate change sceptics as part of a dangerous global push risking the future of the planet through ill-informed prejudice and refusal to accept the scientific evidence of global warming.

The Prime Minister's comments came as Climate Change Minister Penny Wong conceded new budget estimates released by the government on Monday mean that "carte blanche acceptance of the entirety" of the opposition's proposed amendments to the emissions trading scheme will not be possible in negotiations before a final Senate vote in less than two weeks.

The carefully worded assessment came after another meeting between Senator Wong and Coalition emissions trading spokesman Ian Macfarlane yesterday -- the third in a week.

Both sides still believe a deal could be possible, but Mr Rudd's speech, aimed at quashing the spread of "sceptic" arguments, could backfire and embolden those in the Coalition opposed to the Malcolm Turnbull's handling of the issue.

The Opposition Leader said last month he was not prepared to lead a party that was "not as committed to effective action on climate change as I am", but will face a huge challenge to get his party to agree to vote for any ETS deal.

According to Mr Rudd: "The tentacles of the climate change sceptics reach deep into the ranks of the Liberal Party, and once you add the National Party it's plain the sceptics and the deniers are a major force."

He said the sceptics and deniers in Australia were part of a global conservative push "driven by vested interests" to slow domestic climate action in each country in order to stymie an international agreement.

"Climate change deniers are small in number, but they are too dangerous to be ignored. They are well resourced and well represented by political conservatives in many, many countries," he said in a speech to the Lowy Institute yesterday.

"And the danger they pose is this: by collapsing political momentum towards national and global action on climate change, they collapse global political will to act at all.

"They are the stick that gets stuck in the wheel, that despite its size may yet bring the train to a complete stop."

Mr Rudd's attack came as Coalition tensions increased, with Nationals senator Barnaby Joyce releasing a newsletter to supporters urging them to "hit the blog sites" and call talkback radio to sink the proposal. Mr Turnbull and the majority of Liberals support emissions trading, although they disagree with elements of the design of Labor's scheme.

On Wednesday, Mr Macfarlane told The Courier-Mail newspaper that Senator Joyce needed to be a team player. Yesterday, a defiant Senator Joyce wrote in his newsletter: "If Labor gets its way introducing this ridiculous tax, we can say goodbye to our beef and sheep industry, say goodbye to our manufacturing industry."

But Mr Rudd said the sceptics -- including the "fearmonger in chief" Senator Joyce -- were making the "single most reckless bet" in history.

Mr Turnbull said Mr Rudd should "calm down and concentrate on the (ETS) negotiations".