Bali Mandate
The first 2 weeks of December 2007 saw a reconvening of the world’s nations at the UN FCCC (United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change) to discuss and negotiate a continuing agreement under which the world can attempt to avoid the worst that the climate crisis will bring. This new agreement is currently being called “the Bali Mandate.” Since the only agreement that has been made to date, the Kyoto Protocols, are set to expire in the year 2012 a new agreement needs to be negotiated, with stricter controls, mandates, incentives, and compliance of all nations large and small.
This meeting saw immensely important developments. The new prime minister of Australia, one of only 2 developed nations to NOT have ratified the Kyoto Protocols, started off the conference by announcing that his nation would indeed now ratify this agreement, leaving the United States isolated as the only industrialized nation to not do so. Australia’s previous hesitation was due to the immense influence of the lucrative coal mining industry there. The United States’ reticence has been due to the oil industry for one of many that dominate politics in the US by force of their economic influence. Indeed, the very President of the US, George Bush, comes from an oil-wealthy family and the Vice President, Dick Cheney, has significant investments (and friends) in the oil and oil services industry as former CEO of Halliburton, the largest oil services firm in the world. But with an election scheduled for 2008 in the US, this should soon change, and perhaps by the time you read this, the present tense will need updating to the past tense.
The conference in Bali saw extreme pressures being brought to bear on the United States, and indeed, some measure of cooperation was announced late in the conference by the US negotiating team. Here are links to a few articles covering the dramatic 11th hour turn around in the US position.