(Xinhua)
Updated: 2008-02-01 21:43

HONOLULU, United States -- Australia on Thursday called for truly global action by both developed and developing countries to address climate change.

"The world needs all countries to work together and agree on actions to address this common challenge," Penny Wong, Australian Minister for Climate Change and Water, said in a statement at the end of a two-day meeting on energy security and climate change.

"We need to ensure that this includes a long-term global goal, which would give the world a shared aspiration on climate change, would help to maintain political momentum and would send a clear, long-term signal to the global business community," Wong said.

The meeting, known as Major Economies Meeting on Energy Security and Climate Change (MEM), concluded without reaching any consensus on ways to fight climate change.

The meeting, which brought about 160 representatives from the world's 16 major economies, pledged instead to move forward the Bali Action Plan on climate change.

But Wong said the meeting achieved progress, citing the meeting's recognition of the importance of rapid progress in implementing the Bali Action Plan.

"I also welcome the MEM's agreement that the task of the MEM is now to give political momentum and support for a successful UN climate change outcome in 2009," she said.

"In Bali, the world decided to work together and develop a new global agreement on climate change by 2009. If we are to achieve this, we need to start straight away."

She said the MEM started working through a range of complex issues identified in Bali, including a long-term goal, cooperative sectoral actions, innovative technology development and deployment, transfer of existing and innovative technologies.

"By making progress in this forum, we have now sent a very clear signal to the world that we are determined to achieve the goals outlined in Bali," she said.

The Bali Action Plan, reached at the UN Climate Change Conference in Bali, Indonesia last month, emphasizes the willingness of all parties to contribute to a future climate regime in line with their respective capabilities and determines that all parties must report on their measurable and verifiable activities.