If Reelected, John Howard Promises To Attend Bali Conference, Rejects Any Binding Emission Target

[hatrack]

If he is re-elected, John Howard will attend the climate change conference in Bali next month as part of a "head of government" diplomatic push on greenhouse gas emissions.

Dismissing Labor's claims that Australia cannot negotiate on climate change without ratifying the Kyoto Protocol, the Prime Minister declared "Kyoto is the past". "The new Kyoto, for want of a better term, is what it's about," he said in an interview with The Australian.

Mr Howard said he had already dealt extensively with US President George W. Bush and Chinese President Hu Jintao, convincing them to agree to aspirational targets for greenhouse gas emissions at the Sydney APEC meeting.

He said he would attend the UN Climate Change Conference in Bali, which is aimed at defining a global emissions plan after 2012 when the Kyoto Protocol expires. Kevin Rudd has said he would immediately ratify the Kyoto Protocol on greenhouse gas emissions if elected, and would also attend the Bali conference, which runs from December 3-14, if elected.

Yesterday, Mr Howard said the issue of ratifying Kyoto was now out of date and the real debate was about what occurred after 2012. He rejected any suggestion of adopting the policy of the G8 countries, which includes China and the US, of agreeing "to consider" a global target of a 50per cent reduction in greenhouse gas emissions by 2050.

EDIT

http://www.theaustralian.news.com.au/story/0,25197,22788047-30417,00.html

So why the fuck bother going - assuming you even CAN, Prime Minister Asshat?