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'There is no Plan B'
12/12/2007 09:40 - (SA)
Nusa Dua, Indonesia - New Australian Prime Minister Kevin Rudd on Wednesday completed ratification of the Kyoto Protocol as he pressed for all nations, rich and poor, to commit to fighting global warming.
Ratification has left the United States as the only advanced economy to shun the UN treaty on global warming, but environmentalists charged that Australia was working behind the scenes to water down a future climate deal.
Rudd was paying his first visit abroad since taking office to personally take part in negotiations on the Indonesian island of Bali thrashing out a framework for curbing greenhouse gases once Kyoto's commitments end in 2012.
A beaming Rudd handed over documents ratifying the Kyoto Protocol in a brief ceremony with UN Secretary General Ban Ki-moon.
"This has been a decision of our government, a decision taken on the first day of our government in office, so it is a great honour to present this to you," Rudd said after shaking Ban's hand.
Rudd later announced the ratification to environment ministers or their representatives from some 180 nations, who offered him two rounds of applause.
"Climate change is the defining challenge of our generation," Rudd told the ministers, who are starting three days of key talks.
Embrace binding emissions
"There is no Plan B," he said. "There is no other planet any of us can escape to."
Rudd symbolically ratified Kyoto as his first act in office last week following his centre-left Labour party's defeat of John Howard's conservatives.
Howard was US President George W Bush's primary ally in rejecting the Kyoto Protocol, arguing that the treaty is unfair to developed countries by making no demands of fast-growing emerging economies.
Rudd also said the next agreement must yield pledges from developing countries, although he did not give details.
"We expect all developed countries to embrace a further set of binding emissions targets," Rudd said, in a veiled reference to the United States.
"And we need developing countries to play their part - with specific commitments to action."
But a green group, Friends of the Earth, said it feared that Australia was joining efforts by the United States, Japan, Canada and others to avoid offering concessions for a future deal.
Flexible approach
Japan, the home of the Kyoto Protocol, is far behind meeting its own commitments as its economy recovers and has argued for a more flexible approach in the future.
"Some of the things we've seen and heard from Australia have been disappointing given the shift of emphasis since the election," said Friends of the Earth International vice chair Tony Juniper.
"But we anticipate that some of the reason is that many of the officials here were working under the Howard administration and we're hoping there will be a shift," he said.
Rudd ducked reporters' questions on Tuesday on Australia's position in the talks, saying negotiations were still under way.
He said his Labour party would come up with a report around June next year on Australia's interim targets but was committed to long-term goals.
"I emphasise that our long-term target is an ambitious target to reduce our own greenhouse gas emissions by 60% by 2050 against 2000 levels," he said on Tuesday, calling for a "methodical framework" to reach the goal.
Ratification takes effect 90 days after a country's commitment is handed to the United Nations, meaning Australia will become a full member of the Protocol on March 11 if Wednesday is considered the starting date.
- AFP
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