World Myth No.1: Corporate Environmental Community Responsibility

Asked at a news conference why business would adopt more expensive technologies in the absence of financial incentives, Mr Samuel Bodman, US Energy Secretary, replied: "I believe that the people who run the private sector, who run these companies - they too have children, they too have grandchildren, they too live and breathe in the world, and they would like things dealt with effectively; and that's what this is all about.

“It's really going to be the private sector, the companies... that are ultimately going to be the solvers of this problem."

Mr Bodman was attending the first meeting of the Asia-Pacific Partnership on Clean Development and Climate in Sydney.

The Asia-Pacific Partnership brings together Australia, China, India, Japan, South Korea and the United States.

It aims to guarantee economic growth and energy security, as well as bringing down greenhouse gas emissions

However environmental groups contend it will have little impact without financial incentives, and may persuade other nations away from the Kyoto Protocol process.

Comments from the Australian and US ministers have also increased suspicion among environmental groups that the Partnership is basically a business alliance designed to help western energy companies into burgeoning Asian markets.

In principle, the Asia-Pacific pact includes all "clean" technologies, though the focus is firmly on coal, as all six nations are either major producers or consumers.