ABSTRACT
Despite sharing a large number of attributes, Canada and Australia’s foreign policy positions in international climate negotiations have varied significantly. Both are former British colonies with parliamentary governments, continent-sized countries with significant portions of their economies devoted to natural resource extraction and processing, and substantial emitters of greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions. Up until December 2007, the United States (US) and Australia were alone among the developed states in refusing to be bound by the Kyoto Protocol. Canada has ratified the Protocol but its emissions have continued to rise precipitously and it will be unable to meet its Kyoto commitments without generous use of the flexibility mechanisms contained in the Protocol. Both countries have struggled to reduce their GHG emissions, but Canada continued to pledge its support for Kyoto, whereas Australia rejected it until 3 December 2007 when Kevin Rudd—in his first official action after being sworn in as Australia’s new prime minister—signed the instrument of ratification to make the Kyoto Protocol binding for Australia.
