The head of the nation's major nuclear science organisation says...

The head of the nation's major nuclear science organisation says that there is nothing Australia can do as a whole to make a difference to climate change.

Ziggy Switkowski, the newly appointed head of the Australian Nuclear Science and Technology Organisation (ANSTO), led an inquiry last year into the possibility of replacing coal and gas with nuclear power.

Dr Switkowski has told a business council forum in Canberra that current discussions about how the country could become greener would have little impact.

"Australia is hostage to global warming, not to national warming," he said.

"Arguably nothing Australia does at a local level will make any difference to our climate."

Dave R.