Greens Leader Christine Milne says Prime Minister Abbott is setting Australia up to fail in the eyes of the G20, by ignoring global warming and playing domestic politics on the international stage.

"Tony Abbott is promising the G20 he'll deliver on some of his cruel budget cuts that have already been denounced by the Senate and the community as unacceptable," said Senator Milne

"Using the G20 to wedge the Senate is another crash or crash through tactic, but it's going to backfire on the Abbott government.

Australian Greens Leader Christine Milne has backed the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change on its most comprehensive scientific assessment to date, which says we will stand no chance of preventing catastrophic
warming if we do not leave the majority of the world's fossil fuel reserves in the ground.

"Coal is bad for humanity, and so is Tony Abbott's denial of global warming science," said Senator Milne.

South Australian Greens Senator Sarah Hanson-Young has called on South Australian universities to divest from fossil fuel companies and reinvest in the future of the state; renewable energy.

"As a clean energy power-house, the push towards renewables will help to secure the economic future of South Australia for generations to come," Senator Hanson-Young said.

Greens Leader Christine Milne says the reaction to trade barriers imposed by China on coal imports highlights the risks attached to the Abbott government's determination to protect old industry and big business profits.

"It's clear the main reason the Abbott government wants a Chinese free trade deal is to underpin coal mining expansion in the Bowen and Galilee Basins and expanded export volumes into the long term. Protecting the profits of the vested interests of the big end of town is his specialty," Senator Milne said.

Palmer wants to cut the Renewable Energy Target (RET) by 5% and let big business off the hook.

The Palmer United Party are asking the Government to give the aluminium industry a 100% exemption from the RET.

The aluminium industry is currently required to source just 10% of their electricity from clean energy sources. Palmer is asking that this be reduced to zero. 

Renewable energy is pushing the price of electricity down. Palmer’s plan to cut the RET is nothing short of a hand out for big business, payed for by households and small business.

China's new coal import rules make it clear Australia is becoming a rust-bucket economy under the Abbott government, said Greens Leader Christine Milne.

"There's China moving to cut pollution while in Australia we have a policy vacuum and a Prime Minister who wants our economy to be reliant on exporting coal pollution to the world," said Senator Milne.

"Tony Abbott is putting his hands over his ears and refusing to hear the loud message that investing in coal, and building coal ports and railways, will lead to stranded assets and is jeopardising our future prosperity.