At United Nation’s climate change talks in Bonn, Germany, more than 450 non-government organisations from around the world  have voted to give Australia first place in a "Fossil of the Day" award for greenhouse gas emission targets.

The NGO’s criticised Australia for setting a completely inadequte target for 2020 of only a 5% greenhouse reduction, which would be increased to a still inadequte 24% reduction provided that other countries also made certain commitments. The NGO’s, which believe that rich coutries need to achieve targets of more than 40%, described the conditions demanded by Australia as "obnoxious".

The NGOs said that “Australia was awarded First Place, for announcing its target which puts unreasonable conditions on other countries. Australia will adopt an inadequate 24% target by 2020 with the following and particularly obnoxious provisos that include, all countries (including developing countries) contribute finance and that developing countries slow growth, take a 20% (against BAU) reduction by 2020 and nominate a peaking year for their emissions. It is worth noting that Australia’s emissions have yet to peak and they are yet to commit any additional money to adaptation.”