by Amanda McKenzie

Day 1 of the Bali conference was eventful, confusing, exciting,
frustrating and a whole lot of other emotions rolled into one. While we
all got lost finding where we were supposed to go for government
delegation meetings, youth caucus meetings and plenaries, we all
managed to eventually get ourselves into gear and learn a lot.

A major talking point of the day was Australia’s speech to the COP in which they announced that they will ratify the Kyoto Protocol, which was met with much applause.

Australia ’s recent Federal election has been widely reported around
the globe, from Uganda to Tehran, from Brussels to New York, as the
‘Climate Change Election’.

This is definitely the perception here at the United Nations Climate
Change Conference in Bali where the result has breathed new life into
the negotiations. When Australia announced in the opening Plenary that
it would immediately ratify the Kyoto Protocol the room went wild –
well as wild as diplomats, usually the constrained type, can be – there
was cheering, whistling and a standing ovation. It has raised hopes
around the world that Australia will move from laggard to leader.

As a country that is already suffering
severe climate change impacts, with a Prime Minister that has a clear
mandate from the people to take concerted immediate action to solve the
climate crisis, Australia is well placed to drive international
negotiations to build upon and strengthen the Kyoto Protocol.

However, ratification of the Protocol is merely a first step.
Australia and the global community must go much further if we are to
avert climate disaster. The urgency in which world leaders develop and
implement a global solution must reflect the urgency of the problem.

We are currently experiencing the impacts of 0.7 degrees global
warming. In the last few years we have seen many “worst ever” events -
the worst drought in Australia in a 1000 years, in North Western
America in 500 years and in the Amazon rainforest in a 100 years, the
most damaging and costly hurricane of all time, hurricane Katrina, the
worst ever forest fires in California, Australia, Greece, Portugal and
Russia, the worst heat wave ever in Europe killing 35,000 people, and
the worst flooding in living memory in South East Asia in 2006 and
South Asia and Britain in 2007. Many people living on small islands
must consider evacuation as their homes begin to be submerged by rising
sea levels. This is the first time Eskimos have witnessed polar bears
drown as they search farther and farther for food in the rapidly
melting Artic.

Each day climate change has dangerous impacts right across the
world. Each day we continue to pump more and more greenhouse gases into
the atmosphere. Each day developing and implementing a global solution
to the climate crisis becomes more and more urgent.

The Bali Conference represents a unique opportunity for the
Australian government to reinvent itself. Having set a positive tone at
the beginning of the conference, Australia can use the momentum to push
for a solution that will transform the global economy and prevent
catastrophic climate change. To do otherwise would be to undermine the
mandate bestowed upon the newly-elected government by the Australian
people. I commend Prime Minister Rudd on his first act as Prime
Minister, ratification, and look forward to witnessing strong, positive
climate announcements when he arrives in Bali.