Rudd sworn in as PM, vows to sign Kyoto
Tuesday, 4 December 2007
CANBERRA, Dec 3 (Reuters): Australia's Labour leader Kevin Rudd was sworn in as prime minister Monday, promising to urgently sign the Kyoto Protocol on climate change.
But Rudd said that the country was likely to miss its Kyoto target for reducing greenhouse gas emissions by 2012.
Australia's decision to sign Kyoto isolates the United States, which will now be the only developed nation not to ratify the agreement, which sets binding limits on developed countries to curb carbon emissions which are blamed for global warming.
Rudd said he wants the Kyoto ratification process to be well advanced by early next week, when he will lead Australia's delegation to the UN summit in Bali, which will start negotiations on new pollution targets beyond 2012.
But Rudd said that the country was likely to miss its Kyoto target for reducing greenhouse gas emissions by 2012.
Australia's decision to sign Kyoto isolates the United States, which will now be the only developed nation not to ratify the agreement, which sets binding limits on developed countries to curb carbon emissions which are blamed for global warming.
Rudd said he wants the Kyoto ratification process to be well advanced by early next week, when he will lead Australia's delegation to the UN summit in Bali, which will start negotiations on new pollution targets beyond 2012.