Al Gore, recipient of the Nobel Peace Prize, is urging governments to accelerate the development of a new treaty to reduce greenhouse gas emissions by two years, rather than waiting until the Kyoto pact expires in 2012. Government ministers are currently meeting in Bali, Indonesia, to initiate discussions on a successor to the Kyoto pact to be finalized by 2009, allowing three years for ratification before the current pact ends. Gore emphasized the importance of implementing a stricter treaty sooner, stating this would be a key message during his Nobel Prize acceptance in Oslo and at the UN climate conference in Bali. The United States rejected the 1997 Kyoto protocol, a key UN climate agreement that required 36 nations to reduce emissions. The US argued that the protocol was too costly and did not include developing countries in the emissions cuts. Former Vice President Al Gore stated that the US should lead in addressing climate change and noted that there were positive signs of change within the country, such as cities and states adopting Kyoto provisions and business leaders calling for carbon emissions reductions. Gore emphasized the importance of making environmentally friendly choices, such as taking public transportation like the train, as a way to help the environment. In 2006, Gore was criticized for being satirized after arriving in a limousine for a screening of his Oscar-winning film "An Inconvenient Truth" at the Cannes film festival. The film calls for immediate action to combat climate change.