Australia to return to the Kyoto fold?

by | Nov 21, 2007


What a coup it would be for the UN – and Ban Ki-Moon in particular – if one of Kyoto’s prodigal sons returned to the fold ahead of the Bali climate summit (running from 3-14 December). 

That’s exactly what could happen if Australian Labor Party leader Kevin Rudd (profile here) wins Saturday’s general election there.  He’s already said that if elected, he will personally lead the Aussie delegation to the summit – and that a Labor government would “immediately” reverse John Howard’s refusal to accept binding targets for Australia.

The FT yesterday cited polling data putting Labor 10 points ahead.

Author

  • Alex Evans

    Alex Evans is founder of Larger Us, which explores how we can use psychology to reduce political tribalism and polarisation, a senior fellow at New York University, and author of The Myth Gap: What Happens When Evidence and Arguments Aren’t Enough? (Penguin, 2017). He is a former Campaign Director of the 50 million member global citizen’s movement Avaaz, special adviser to two UK Cabinet Ministers, climate expert in the UN Secretary-General’s office, and was Research Director for the Business Commission on Sustainable Development. Alex lives with his wife and two children in Yorkshire.

    View all posts

More from Global Dashboard

Let’s make climate a culture war!

Let’s make climate a culture war!

If the politics of climate change end up polarised, is that so bad?  No – it’s disastrous. Or so I’ve long thought. Look at the US – where climate is even more polarised than abortion. Result: decades of flip flopping. Ambition under Clinton; reversal...