photo by david stevens

finally, reports the guardian:

(...) Australia won applause at the start of UN-led climate change talks in Bali on Monday by agreeing to ratify the Kyoto protocol, isolating the US as the only developed nation outside the pact.
Soon after an Australian delegate promised immediate action on Kyoto, the new prime minister in Canberra, Kevin Rudd, took the oath of office and signed the ratification documents, ending his country's long-held opposition to the global climate agreement (...)

this took place in the framework of the bali climate conference (3 - 14 december 2007). the guardian offers extensive reporting on the meeting.

bbc news berichtet (ENG) über die nominierungen der zukünftigen minister der labour party in australien. umweltminister wird der ehemalige sänger der gruppe midnight oil, peter garrett. anbei eine kleine serviceleistung von sauseschritt. peter garrett über seinen einstieg in die politik (ENG). hoffentlich ist der mann auch als minister gut.

nachtrag: wir wollen es natürlich nicht beim personenkult belassen und verweisen deshalb auf eine kritische review möglicher neuer australischer umweltpolitik:

(...) Who is Kevin Rudd and what are the details of his new government's plan? From what we've heard so far, his shade of green is decidedly bright (...)
meint worldchanging.

(...) Prime minister John Howard today admitted defeat in Australia's general election, and looks set to lose his parliamentary seat.

Labor Party leader Kevin Rudd swept to power, ending an 11-year conservative era and promising major changes to policies on global warming and his country's role in the Iraq war (...)

reports the guardian. a prime minister for indigenous people, immigrants, soldiers, for all - promoting education and the fight for environmental protection ? thats, what he said. strangely enough: blood sweat and tears was repeatedly mentioned. listen to bbc (20 min).

image by snorriax

The Australian prime minister, John Howard, has poured scorn on the idea of global warming. But now the trees are dying, the crops are failing and the rivers are drying up. As the country prepares to go to the polls, Julian Glover reports on the world's first climate change election

sauseschritt reported already about australia´s elections, here is some more.

photo by snorriax

as we are sure that international media will not report as widely as they should:

on 11 november 2007 around 150.000 people marched against their governments decision not to sign the kyoto protocol. this march and country wide protests were organised by walk against warming, which reports on its website:

(...) In 60 cities and towns across Australia, 150,000 people took part in Walk Against Warming events across the country to send a clear message to all political parties that not enough has been done to tackle climate change and that delaying further action until the next election will be too late to prevent its dangerous impacts (...)

the independant media center reports that:

(...) Like the USA, Australia has refused to sign the Kyoto protocol and has the second highest emissions on a per capita basis behind Luxembourg. Australia exceeded the United States for the average highest emitter per capita in the developed world between 1996 and 2005. Action on Climate change has become the most important issue in the Australian Federal Election with voting on November 24. The climate policies of both major Australian parties allow Australia’s emissions to continue to rise, despite scientific projections and warnings that Catastrophic Climate Change may be Inevitible unless Drastic Steps are Taken with Arctic Sea Ice already Heading for Rapid Disintegration and predictions of Disastrous Sea Level Rise (...)

and worldchanging has a very optimistic view on the willingness of australias´s population to deal with the problem:

(...) Apparently a vast majority of Australians support taking measures to cope with and combat global warming -- 92 percent according to a poll, the highest percentage of 17 countries studies -- as well as 69 percent favoring immediate action despite potentially high economic impacts (...)