Dec. 12 (Bloomberg) -- Australian Prime Minister Kevin Rudd today handed the document to ratify the emissions-limiting Kyoto Protocol to United Nations Secretary-General Ban Ki-Moon, leaving the U.S. as the only developed country rejecting the accord.

Rudd announced on his first day in government that he would ratify the treaty, signed 10 years ago yesterday in Kyoto, Japan. He reversed the policy of former Liberal Prime Minister John Howard, ousted in a Nov. 24 election, who argued that ratifying the Kyoto Protocol would cut economic growth and cost jobs.

Australia, which will be a full member of the Kyoto Protocol by the end of March, sent Rudd and five of his ministers to the two-week climate change conference on the Indonesian island of Bali, which aims to set a deadline for replacing the global warming treaty when it expires in 2012.

``I congratulate you for ratifying this so soon,'' Ban told Rudd during a short meeting at the UN conference. ``It is very important.''

Rudd has asked Australian National University professor Ross Garnaut to report on interim targets that would lower Australian emissions without harming economic growth. His report is due by the middle of 2008.

``We will proceed with the question of binding commitments in a methodical fashion,'' Rudd told reporters at Jimbaran Bay yesterday after meeting Indonesian President Susilo Bambang Yudhoyono. ``Our long-term target is an ambitious target, we have established a proper methodological basis by which we will determine interim targets, and that's the way in which we intend to proceed.''

Australia's target under the Kyoto accord is to limit growth in greenhouse-gas emissions to an 8 percent increase above 1990 levels over the 2008-2012 period.

Rudd was joined at the UN-sponsored talks by Treasurer Wayne Swan, Climate Change Minister Penny Wong, Trade Minister Simon Crean, Environment Minister Peter Garrett and Foreign Minister Stephen Smith.

To contact the reporter on this story: Gemma Daley at gdaley@bloomberg.net

Last Updated: December 11, 2007 21:20 EST