Strides in Kyoto

With quite recent change in leadership in Australia, came a step in the right direction for Kyoto and climate change. The new liberal Prime Minister of the Labor Party in Australia, Kevin Rudd, beat his conservative opponent John Howard. With his victory, Rudd plans to sign and ratify the Kyoto Protocol. This is quote promising for supports of this legislation, which now leave behind the United States and China.

This change in leadership and therefore, agenda, shows the importance of a nation's leader in the issue areas that get addressed. Good leadership in issue areas leads to positive outcomes. Can the battle to get the United States to sign and ratify Kyoto be as easy as using democracy to translate public opinion into public policy? Surely the public voted George W. Bush into office for a second term, therefore, climate change was obviously not the number one issue in their minds. However, with scientific consensus surrounding climate change and its human induced nature, perhaps the democratic process will work in the favor of those who wish to see steps taken in environmental legislation addressing climate change in 2008. The U.S. is most often looked to as a leader, however this has not been the case with global warming.