NUSA DUA, Indonesia (AFP) — New Australian Prime Minister Kevin Rudd on Wednesday completed ratification of the Kyoto Protocol as he pressed for all nations, rich and poor, to commit to fighting global warming.
Ratification has left the United States as the only advanced economy to shun the UN treaty to cut greenhouse-gas emissions, but environmentalists charged that Australia was working behind the scenes to water down a future climate deal.
Rudd was paying his first visit abroad since taking office to personally take part in negotiations on the Indonesian island of Bali thrashing out a framework for curbing carbon emissions once Kyoto's commitments end in 2012.
A beaming Rudd handed over documents ratifying the Kyoto Protocol in a brief ceremony with UN Secretary General Ban Ki-moon.
"This has been a decision of our government, a decision taken on the first day of our government in office, so it is a great honour to present this to you," Rudd said after shaking Ban's hand.
Rudd was later applauded when he announced the ratification to environment ministers or their representatives from some 180 nations.
"Climate change is the defining challenge of our generation," Rudd told the ministers, who launched three days of key talks.
"There is no Plan B," he said. "There is no other planet any of us can escape to."
Rudd symbolically ratified Kyoto as his first act in office last week following his centre-left Labor party's defeat of John Howard's conservatives.
Howard was US President George W. Bush's primary ally in rejecting the Kyoto Protocol, arguing that the treaty is unfair to developed countries by making no demands of fast-growing emerging economies.
Rudd also said the next agreement must yield pledges from developing countries, although he did not give details.
"We expect all developed countries -- all developed countries -- to embrace a further set of binding emissions targets," Rudd said, in a veiled reference to the United States.
"And we need developing countries to play their part -- with specific commitments to action."
But a green group, Friends of the Earth, said it feared that Australia was joining efforts by the United States, Japan, Canada, Russia and others to avoid offering concessions for a future deal.
"Some of the things we've seen and heard from Australia have been disappointing given the shift of emphasis since the election," said Friends of the Earth International vice chair Tony Juniper.
"But we anticipate that some of the reason is that many of the officials here were working under the Howard administration and we're hoping there will be a shift," he said.
Both Rudd and his climate change minister, Penny Wong, remained tight-lipped on Australia's position in the talks.
Wong told the conference that she spoke on behalf of the so-called "umbrella group" of Kyoto Protocol nations including the United States, Japan and Russia.
"The new negotiation should be inclusive in nature and work towards outcomes that are ambitious, comprehensive, equitable, have respect for national circumstances and provide flexibility in combating climate change," she said.
The United States has repeatedly rejected EU-led calls to put numerical targets for emissions cuts in the Bali declaration.
Japan, the home of the Kyoto Protocol, is far behind meeting its own commitments as its economy recovers and has argued for a more flexible future approach rather than mandating emissions cuts.
"Considering Japan's current situation, achievement of its target is not easy. Nevertheless Japan will do its utmost to carry out its commitment," Environment Minister Ichiro Kamoshita said.
Ratification takes effect 90 days after a country's commitment is handed to the United Nations, meaning Australia will become a full member of the Protocol on March 11 if Wednesday is considered the starting date.
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