US plan a ‘dirty coal deal’

A US-LED plan to develop clean-energy technologies was met with caution by critics in Asia yesterday, who claimed it was a ploy to undo the Kyoto pact, the binding accord on controlling global warming that Washington refuses to sign.

The initiative the result of year-long secret talks brings together the US, Australia, China, India, South Korea and last-minute partner Japan, with the aim of inventing and selling technologies ranging from 'clean coal' and wind power to next-generation nuclear fission as a means of reducing pollution and addressing climate concerns.

"The pact sounds more like a dirty coal deal," said the environmental group Greenpeace.