Australia’s ratification of the Kyoto protocol as the first official duty of our new Prime Minister, Kevin Rudd, has brought renewed optimism for millions of Australians that the Howard decade did not damage our future beyond repair. Kevin’07 got up, but will Kevin’08 finally say a genuine sorry for the past injustices to indigenous Australians? Will his Kyoto ratification result in real emission cuts in line with scientific recommendations? Will he manage to pull our education and health systems out of the hole John Howard dug? Will he move Australia off its dependence on fossil fuels and infinite growth strategy towards a technology-based and sustainability-focussed economy? We’ll just have to wait and see I suppose, but the early signs are encouraging.
