Greens carbon inquiry to report in March

The Australian Greens will seek a senate inquiry next week into the federal coalition government's so-called Direct Action climate plan.

The proposed terms of reference, released on Wednesday, ask the Senate environment committee to look at the capacity of the plan to cut greenhouse gas emissions adequately and cost-effectively.

It will also examine problems with measuring abatement and how the plan, which involves measures such as tree planting, will affect carbon farming and long-term investment in clean energy.

A report would be presented in the Senate by the first sitting day in March.

Greens leader Christine Milne says the political debate should focus on how Australia can contribute to constraining global warming, rather than a "phoney debate on the cost of living".

"With recent cyclones, floods and intense bushfires we have seen the human toll of what is already occurring with less than one degree of warming," Senator Milne said in a statement on Wednesday.

"Everyone knows the Direct Action plan is just a sham designed to hide the government's climate denialism.

"A full Senate inquiry will expose why the Direct Action sham can't actually reduce our carbon pollution by even five per cent, let alone the more than 25 per cent that is necessary."

Senator Milne also took aim at comments made by former prime minister John Howard at a forum in London.

Mr Howard told the Global Warming Policy Foundation he had always been "agnostic" about climate change and did not accept "alarmist conclusions".

He said he had supported emissions trading in late 2006 out of political instinct because his government hit a "perfect storm" with on-going drought, severe water restrictions, bushfires and the release of the Stern Review.

Senator Milne said it was "ridiculous" to run climate change policy based on political instinct.

"Failing to address global warming now is imposing a massive burden on future generations," she said.