Rudd in climate talks with Gore
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Climate crusader: Al Gore (File photo) (Reuters: Joshua Roberts)
Opposition Leader Kevin Rudd has met with the former US vice-president and climate campaigner Al Gore in Melbourne to discuss climate change issues.
Mr Rudd says Australia's failure to ratify the Kyoto protocol means it does not have voting rights at the December meeting of the UN framework convention on climate change in Bali.
He says ratification is long overdue.
"We would have been 11 years or a decade at least down the track towards substantive diplomatic engagement on bringing the Chinese on board, on bringing the Indians on board, on working with our friends in Washington to bring America on board and to work out the practical strategies necessary," he said.
"But instead we've had a decade of denial on climate change."
Mr Gore has welcomed Mr Rudd's pledge to ratify the protocol, and says it would put overwhelming pressure on America to do the same.
But he stopped short of endorsing Mr Rudd for prime minister.
"If I were a citizen of Australia and cared deeply about the climate crisis I would pay very careful attention to the fact that there is a clear and stark difference in the positions of the two candidates," he said.
"One supports ratification of the world treaty to solve the climate crisis and the other opposes it. That would weigh very heavily on my vote."
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