The Commonwealth expressed concern on Saturday about the impact of climate change on small island nations facing rising sea levels, but did not support mandatory goals for reducing greenhouse gas emissions. The statement issued during the summit highlighted the serious threat climate change poses to some Commonwealth countries, particularly small island states. It emphasized that the cost of not taking action against global warming would be higher than implementing preventive measures early on. However, the declaration from the Commonwealth summit did not include specific targets for reducing greenhouse gas emissions, leading Greenpeace Executive Director John Sauvan to criticize it as insufficient. Sauvan pointed out the lack of urgency in addressing the need to control emissions causing climate change, especially considering the disproportionate impact on the poorest Commonwealth members. The agreement reached at the Commonwealth summit in Kampala, while praised by Secretary-General Don McKinnon as a significant step forward, did not meet the expectations of many countries who were hoping for a stronger statement. Despite Britain's calls for a clear message and binding commitments from developed nations before the Bali environment conference, the Kampala declaration fell short of these demands. However, it did emphasize that developed countries should take the lead in reducing emissions and that efforts to address climate change should not hinder the sustainable economic development of developing countries. The upcoming Bali summit will focus on negotiating a successor to the Kyoto protocol, which aims to reduce global warming emissions but is set to expire in 2012. Kyoto excludes developing countries, such as India and China, from greenhouse gas reduction commitments. Canada's conservative government stated it would not agree to a deal in Kampala unless all countries were required to reduce emissions. The Commonwealth typically reaches consensus, and the vague nature of the declaration on Saturday may be due to the need to compromise between Canada's stance and the demands of developing nations, particularly island states. The Commonwealth Climate Change Action Plan called for a post-Kyoto agreement on reducing greenhouse gases but only mentioned a "long term aspirational global goal for emissions reduction that all countries would contribute to." Environmentalists strongly criticized similar non-binding language used at recent G8 and APEC summits. A British official stated that the statement achieved their goal of building momentum before Bali, but questioned whether CHOGM was the appropriate place to commit to binding targets with Bali approaching. Some participants believed Bali was the right platform for discussing commitments. Despite Australia's previous reluctance to address climate change, Labor Party leader Kevin Rudd announced after winning the general election that Australia would now sign the Kyoto Protocol. The previous government's refusal to ratify Kyoto had upset Pacific island nations, including Commonwealth members at risk of being submerged by rising sea levels.