Australian Labor Party Leader Kevin Rudd has outlined his first acts in government if he wins this weekend's election and becomes Prime Minster. Top of his list? Ratifying Kyoto. It's a costless decision domestically, as Australia is meting its generous Kyoto target and will have credits to sell, while a growing number of Australians are becoming concerned after years of crippling drought and water shortages. But it will also have a significant effect internationally, in that Australian ratification would leave the USA totally isolated in post-Kyoto negotiations, with no allies at all in the denialist camp. This is unlikely to make any change to George Bush's position - but it will make it that much easier for his successor to reverse it and rejoin the international community on climate change. And that seems to be a good reason to hope for an ALP victory at the weekend.
(Oh, and withdrawing from Iraq was number five on the list. So an ALP victory will mean america will be without allies on that front as well).
