At the conclusion of the climate change summit yesterday, ministers from Australia, the United States, Japan, China, South Korea and India formed eight groups to consider ways to reduce emissions. The countries will report back in one year on how exactly that will be done.

Australia was also selected to co-chair, with South Korea, a group looking at the renewable energy sector.

The partnership did not set any targets for reducing greenhouse gas emissions, but prime minister John Howard yesterday committed A$100,000 over five years to support innovation in low-emission technologies. A quarter of this total is reserved for renewable energy projects, which can also bid for the remaining A$75 million.

Money will start to be allocated in about six months, after the initial reports from working groups make recommendations on which projects to fund.

At the end of the meeting, the countries emphasised in a communiqué that fossil fuels would continue to underpin their economies “and will be an enduring reality for our lifetimes and beyond.”

"It is therefore critical that we work together to develop, demonstrate and implement cleaner and lower emissions technologies that allow for the continued economic use of fossil fuels while addressing air pollution and greenhouse gas emissions,” the communique said.

The eight task forces are on: cleaner fossil-fuel energy; renewable energy; more efficient power generation and transmission; steel; aluminium; cement; coal mining, and building and appliances.

But a specific group was not set up to discuss nuclear energy. The US Energy Secretary, Sam Bodman, said nuclear energy was likely to be discussed by the renewable energy group.

The Australian Labor Party seems to be divided on its response to the communique.

After attending the talks, shadow minister for resources Martin Ferguson said the AP6 was "vital" to delivering cleaner technologies, according to the Australian newspaper. Ferguson also reiterated his support for nuclear power.

But acting Labor leader Jenny Macklin called for Australia to ratify the Kyoto Protocol and criticised the conference's decision to not set emission reduction targets.

Environmental groups and the Democrats party also criticised the meeting and the A$100 million allocation for clean technologies and renewable energy projects.

Democrats spokesperson for the environment, Andrew Bartlett, called the financial commitment a “sick joke” that showed the Australian Government’s lack of commitment to tackling climate change.

“This is less than one-tenth of what this Government gave to itself to promote their workplace relations policy. So much for climate change being a priority," Bartlett said.

Similar criticisms of the Howard Government’s funding pledge have been made by conservation groups around the country, including NSW Nature Conservation Council and Greenpeace, which has accused the AP6 of being railroaded by the US and Australia and turned into a “coal trade show”.

But Bartlett did welcome the presence of major industry representatives from the member countries, saying it would be impossible to effectively tackle issues of climate change without the willing participation of the world’s largest polluters.

“However, their involvement should not be to the exclusion of all other parties,” he said.