Kevin Rudd's first act as Aussie PM: Ratification of Kyoto

[Axver]

Well, this is good news. After the strong Labour win just over a week ago, Kevin Rudd was sworn in as Prime Minister today, and as his first act, he began the ratification process of the Kyoto Protocol.

From The Australian:

KEVIN Rudd has ratified the Kyoto Protocol as the first formal act of his Labor Government.
Mr Rudd said that following a meeting of the executive council – the decision-making body of government presided over by the Governor-General Michael Jeffery – it was agreed that Australia should be bound by the international climate change agreement.

The Howard Government signed the Kyoto Protocol after winning significant concessions in 1997, but never adopted it into law.

Mr Rudd campaigned on a platform of ratifying the agreement, which binds Australia to emissions of no more than 108 per cent compared with 1990 levels.

[...]

After the Rudd Government’s action the instrument of ratification will sit with United Nations for 90 days until coming into force.

Continued: http://www.theaustralian.news.com.au/story/0,25197,22861942-11949,00.html

With John Howard no longer echoing his every move, Bush is now very, very alone.

 

[Cin]

it's a good sign. hopefully he continues this way but he's a politician so I really doubt it

 

[verte76]

Good! I was so pissed off when Bush wouldn't ratify Kyoto. I'm glad the new Aussie PM has done this.

 

[Vincent Vega]

And now Bush is about to form an alliance with China and India.

Although Kyoto is only a small step, it's a step in the right direction.

 

[Zoomerang96]

Well, this is good news. After the strong Labour win just over a week ago, Kevin Rudd was sworn in as Prime Minister today, and as his first act, he began the ratification process of the Kyoto Protocol.



With John Howard no longer echoing his every move, Bush is now very, very alone.

oh no, he's still got canada's favourite son, stephen harper on his side.

harper now stands alone in the entire bloody commonwealth... yes, he stands alone alright. he's the only leader now who's against kyoto.

terrible. if only there was an alternative to harper... and while there might be in terms of parties, the leaders of those parties are as uninspiring as harper and perhaps even more daft.

 

[Angela Harlem]

And now Bush is about to form an alliance with China and India.

Although Kyoto is only a small step, it's a step in the right direction.

I'm very interested to see what Rudd does about China. There's no real point in 'kowtowing', impressing them with your Mandarin if you aren't going to grow some seriously huge balls and finally take a stand against everything China does which flies in the face of your own policies, as every PM this country has ever seen has done in the past. If Bush and China buddy up in more serious ways, then it's going to become a huge test for Rudd. Just how much of a leader is he going to be? I can only hope it's enough to stand up to the combined brick wall resistance of Hu Jintao and Bush.

 

[Axver]

Re: Re: Kevin Rudd's first act as Aussie PM: Ratification of Kyoto

oh no, he's still got canada's favourite son, stephen harper on his side.

harper now stands alone in the entire bloody commonwealth... yes, he stands alone alright. he's the only leader now who's against kyoto.

Canada ratified Kyoto before Harper rocked up though, didn't it? Has Harper moved to make that void, or does he just echo Bush's rhetoric and not meaningfully act?

 

[anitram]

Canada ratified Kyoto back in 2002, but when the Conservatives were elected, they said it is impossible to meet targets and then promptly cut all funding. This year, the opposition passed a Bill to put us back on track to honouring the Kyoto accord, which is now at the Senate level. The Conservatives have indicated they will ignore this bill, which will probably prompt a no-confidence vote (and an election) or some kind of constitutional showdown.

 

[Canadiens1131]

Even if the funding is ramped up again, Canada will miss the targets. It's sad, but everything I've read recently indicates it.

 

[verte76]

That's too bad about the funding. Bush and Harper are alone. This stuff pisses me off.

 

[INDY500]

Herald Sun

Peter Jean
December 07, 2007 12:00am

PRIME Minister Kevin Rudd last night did an about-face on deep cuts to greenhouse gas emissions, days after Australia's delegation backed the plan at the climate talks in Bali.

A government representative at the talks this week said Australia backed a 25-40 per cent cut on 1990 emission levels by 2020.

But after warnings it would lead to huge rises in electricity prices, Mr Rudd said the Government would not support the target.

So Rudd was for CO2 reduction before he was against it?