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GREG HOY: Energy Giants Rio Tinto and Alcoa have scored the lowest possible rating by the Worldwide Fund for Nature, who conducted a study into carbon emissions. They are among some of the country's top power companies, who've been accused of doing next to nothing to reduce their carbon emissions.
Jayne Margetts reports.
JAYNE MARGETTS: The power industry is horribly under prepared for a low carbon future, according to Worldwide Fund for Nature.
PAUL TONI, WWF: I think you could describe them as dinosaurs.
JAYNE MARGETTS: The WWF ranked 19 power companies on the work they are doing to reduce their carbon footprint. Their level of investment in low emissions technology was taken into account, as well as targets for pollution reduction. Origin Energy was top of the pile with five stars out of five.
Alcoa and Rio Tinto were the worst performers, with no stars at all.
PAUL TONI: Both of them are seeking compensation for the Government in circumstances where they really don't seem to have done much to reduce the emissions themselves.
JAYNE MARGETTS: Both Rio Tinto and Alcoa say the findings are inaccurate, because they didn't provide any information to the WWF.
In a statement Alcoa said: 'It's absurd to suggest that Alcoa is unprepared for a low-carbon future. Alcoa's operations in Australia are among the most greenhouse and energy efficient in the world'.
PAUL TONI: Well, all I can say is that they were given the opportunity to respond.
JAYNE MARGETTS: Those companies will certainly be watching with interest tomorrow when Professor Ross Garnaut presents his latest report. It will recommend targets for reducing carbon emissions, and set out the costs and benefits of achieving those cuts.
JOHN CONNOR, CLIMATE INSTITUTE: What is key to the credibility of Australia being a positive player in the global negotiations which means so much to our future, is this 25 - 40 per cent range of cuts off 1990 levels.
JAYNE MARGETTS: Environmentalists say anything less and Australia will be left behind.
Source: Lateline Business
