Praise for Rudd as he signs Kyoto to leave US isolated

Indonesian youths yesterday sing the theme song for the opening ceremony of the United Nations-led climate-change conference on the resort island of Bali in Indonesia. Delegates and scientists from more than 190 countries and regions, who are attending the two-week talks, are calling for rapid progress in building a new international pact by 2009 to combat global warming.

AUSTRALIA won an ovation at the start of UN-led climate change talks in Bali yesterday by agreeing to ratify the Kyoto Protocol, isolating the United States as the only developed nation outside the pact.

Soon after an Australian delegate promised immediate action on Kyoto, new Australian Prime Minister Kevin Rudd took the oath of office and signed documents to end his country's long-held opposition to the global climate agreement.

"I think I can speak for all present here by expressing a sigh of relief," conference host and Indonesian Environment Minister Rachmat Witoelar told the conference's opening session.

About 190 nations are in Bali for the conference, seeking a breakthrough for a new global pact to fight climate change by 2009 to avert droughts, heatwaves and rising seas that will hit the poor hardest.

A new treaty is meant to widen the Kyoto Protocol, which binds 36 industrial countries to cut greenhouse gas emissions by five percent below 1990 levels by 2008-12. The US and developing nations have no caps under Kyoto.

The US, as the world's top greenhouse gas emitter, has been feeling the heat from developing nations demanding the rich make stronger commitments to curb emissions.

Australia, the world's top coal exporter and among the world's highest per-capita greenhouse gas polluters, has been criticized for years for refusing the ratify Kyoto.

"It was an emotional and spontaneous reaction to a very significant decision to ratify the Kyoto Protocol," Yvo de Boer, head of the UN Climate Secretariat, said of the ovation.

The US was unfazed.

"We respect Australia's decision," Harlan Watson, head of the US delegation, told reporters. "We're not here to be a roadblock. We're committed to a successful conclusion here."

De Boer told delegates that rich nations had to agree to cut emissions from burning fossil fuels to encourage poor countries to start dealing with their own rising emissions.

"Bold action in the north can fuel clean growth in the south," he said, urging a sharing of clean energy technologies such as solar or wind power.

"I fervently hope you will make a breakthrough here in Bali by adopting a negotiating agenda."

Others urged caution.

"At the opening ceremonies for the climate talks in Bali, there was lots of goodwill and optimism, but there is clearly a challenging road ahead," said Angela Anderson, vice president for climate programs at the Washington-based National Environmental Trust.

"Agreements on adaptation, deforestation and technology cooperation must be reached before the high-level officials arrive next week. While all the governments agree in principle, there is significant disagreement on the details."

(Agencies)