The Rudd Government's appointment of Robert Hill to head the Australian Carbon Trust has a lot to do with wedging the Coalition, the Australian Greens said today.

Robert Hill, as Liberal Environment Minister, played a key personal role in weakening the Kyoto Protocol at negotiations in 1997, undermining global climate action for years afterwards and setting Australia up as a global climate spoiler by not ratifying the Protocol.

"Robert Hill has been no friend of the climate and his appointment will not impress international negotiators," said Senator Bob Brown.

The Greens say there will be wide spread disruption to the lives of Australians in coastal areas due to climate change.

Speaking at the campaign launch of Wendy Heatley, the Greens candidate for Tasmania's state Upper House seat of Pembroke, Greens Leader Senator Bob Brown said:

" The Rudd Government believes that 600, 000 to 700, 000 businesses and houses hugging the south east coast of Australia could be effected by rising sea levels this century."

Prime Minister Rudd must firmly commit Australia to limiting global warming to no more than 2°C and then lift his weak emissions reduction targets to meet that goal, Australian Greens Leader Senator Bob Brown said today.

Senator Brown said Mr Rudd's 5-25% emissions reduction targets contradict the global 2°C goal and undermine the chances of achieving a global agreement to meet that goal, let alone a more ambitious one.

"Mr Rudd and Minister Wong need to be direct with the Australian community about whether they are committed to a global 2°C goal," Senator Brown said.

Financial assistance to developing countries to reduce emissions will be essential to any climate treaty but Gordon Brown's proposed US$100 billion fund falls way short of what's needed, Australian Greens Leader Bob Brown said today.

"Kevin Rudd's 5% target will undermine efforts to reach a strong global agreement at Copenhagen," Senator Brown said.

Prime Minister Rudd's failure-in-waiting approach to climate change will be on global show this week, according to the Australian Greens.

Australian Greens Leader Senator Bob Brown said Mr Rudd's 5% target fails the Bali Road Map target of 25-40% reductions in greenhouse gases over 1990 levels by 2020.

"Mr Rudd is handing over $16 billion to old polluters to help them keep polluting, while failing to invest near enough in fostering green alternatives" Senator Brown said.

The call by scientist Tim Flannery for the Australian Greens to support the Rudd government's 4% emissions trading scheme legislation and ‘get it through' lacked maths and logic, Australian Greens Leader Bob Brown said today.

"Professor Flannery should respect our politics as much as we respect his science," Senator Brown said today.

"He has invented a new Senate maths which makes 32 plus 5 equal 39. That is, he calculates 32 Labor plus 5 Greens equals a Senate majority, but it doesn't. You also need Senators Xenophon and Fielding and I wish him luck with the latter.

On Saturday 13th June, a national rally is being held in most capital cities around Australia. All five Greens Senators will be speaking at or attending rallies across Australia tomorrow calling for the CPRS to be scrapped and replaced with swift action to reduce emissions, drive renewable energy and create green jobs.

Climate Change Minister Penny Wong has acknowledged that one of the critical scientific targets in the Prime Minister's May 4 announcement on the Carbon Pollution Reduction Scheme was wrong. The mistake has gone uncorrected for 25 days, Australian Greens Leader Bob Brown said today.

The Australian Greens say the ACTU is selling out workers by not arguing more strongly for industrial relations changes and by settling for a meagre jobs tally under the Government's failed Carbon Pollution Reduction Scheme.

Greens Leader Senator Bob Brown said he was disappointed ACTU President Sharan Burrow was not pushing the Federal Government more strongly to create jobs and to protect workers entitlements.

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At a time when the community is facing unprecedented environmental and economic challenges, this Budget should be transforming Australia to a low-carbon economy.

This Budget should be, but is not, a Green New Deal for Australia.