THE COALITION is set to move an amendment to the government’s emission trading scheme in which farmers will gain carbon credits for increasing CO2 levels in their soil.

The amendment is the result of a meeting on January 2 this year NSW Nationals Senator John Williams met with Liberal leader Malcolm Turnbull at his Sydney home in continued discussions to bring the two parties together on a shared position on climate change.

That deal comes despite comments by Nationals leader in the Senate Barnaby Joyce this week comparing environmentalists to Nazis and claiming the Nationals will not vote for an emissions trading scheme in any form.

NSW Nationals Senator John Williams said that while he shared some of Senator Joyce’s scepticism on man-made global warming he has been working with Mr Turnbull to come to a shared position on an emissions trading scheme.

“Our first position is OK we oppose this carbon tax, especially if there is no global agreement, but given it looks like the Liberals will pass it we need to ensure rural people get a good deal out of it,” Senator Williams said.

The CO2 deal has been given in principal support from Mr Turnbull as one of a series of amendments the Coalition will move. Under the amendment farmers would be given carbon credits in the eh trading scheme if they increased the CO2 levels in their agricultural soil, which would act as a carbon sink.

The meeting at Mr Turnbull’s house at the start of the year also included Shadow Environment Minister Greg Hunt and Shadow Treasurer Julie Bishop.

Mr Williams said raising CO2 levels in farming soil had the dual benefit of drawing carbon from the atmosphere and increasing the productivity of farming land.

Andy Pidman, Co-director of the climate change research centre at UNSW said increasing CO2 levels in agricultural land would help “buy us time” to restructure heavy emitting parts of the global economy to ensure CO2 levels in the atmosphere don’t reach catastrophic proportions.

The Coalition and Nationals are also expected to come to agreements on including deforestation in the

emission trading scheme.

Support for Coalition amendments will be crucial for the Government if it seeks to pass its trading scheme though the Senate with the Opposition’s support.

If it cannot gain the support of the Coalition, the government will have to rely on a combination of the Greens, Family First and independent Nick Xenophon to pass the legislation.

It is also understood the Opposition is developing a wider water infrastructure program across Australia much like the Victorian food-bowl modernisation project. The $ 2 billion food-bowl modernisation project will upgrade a number of irrigation channels and weirs and other water infrastructure to save water through stopping seepage and evaporation.

Senator Williams painted a very different picture of the relationship between the Nationals and Liberals than that of Senator Joyce this week who hit-out at members of the Liberal party ready to support an emissions trading scheme.

Mr Joyce drew the ire of wide sections of the political stratosphere yesterday when he compared criticism of climate change sceptics with Nazism on ABC radio.

Mr Joyce also said Australia was seeing the rise of “eco-totalitarianism” adding he would not be “goosestepping” along with them.

A senior NSW National source linked Mr Joyce’s comments with recent pronouncements that he was seeking a federal lower house seat and potentially the National Party leadership.

Liberal frontbencher Joe Hockey said Mr Turnbull had been the author of emissions trading when in government and he “will not be walking away from it.”

Mr Turnbull did not buy into the controversy surrounding Mr Joyce’s comments but

said he had “no doubt the Coalition will be responding with one voice.”

Labor Minister for Agriculture, Fisheries and Forestry Tony Burke called on Mr Turnbull to publicly refute Mr Joyce’s comments.