On the eve of the Rudd Government releasing its blueprint for emissions trading, Professor Sachs said the concept was "highly disliked" by China and other developing countries, and they would never agree to it.

Professor Sachs, economic adviser to United Nations secretary-general Ban Ki-Moon, and author of the best-seller The End of Poverty, made the warning yesterday at a conference at the Australian National University.

Standing alongside the Government's climate change adviser Ross Garnaut, who wants Australia to adopt emissions trading, Professor Sachs declared that:

• There would never be a global agreement to introduce emissions trading or carbon taxes to tackle climate change.

• The world instead should seek agreement on goals, and plans to develop and share new technologies, then leave each country to decide how much of the burden it would take on, and how and

• Australia should introduce a carbon tax as a simpler and less rort-prone system, and invest the proceeds in the development of new technology.

Professor Sachs said any attempt to get an international agreement had to start with the West assuring developing countries that their goals to achieve economic development would take priority over tackling climate change.

"I think nobody is going to like this (emissions trading), frankly," Professor Sachs told the ANU's annual China Update.

"It's such a mess administratively. It covers only a fraction of what needs to be covered.

"It's hard to implement. It's hard to monitor.

"It's not transparent, it's highly manipulative - which is why the banks love it.

"I can't ever believe we're going to get global agreement on these mechanisms.

"We're going to get agreement by showing a path, and saying to (nations like) China, that we understand that your desire to catch up (in living standards) is non-negotiable.