Kevin Rudd
Australian Prime Minister Kevin Rudd speaks as his wife Therese Rein listens at a Labor Party function in Brisbane September 7, 2013. Reuters/Peter Barnes

Kevin Rudd will be taking Christiane Amanpour’s place as the host of her TV show on CNN. The former prime minister will be tackling issues like climate change and the Chinese economy. He will also be interviewing guests.

Rudd made the announcement on his official Twitter account about hosting the show, while Amanpour goes on leave. In his tweet the former prime minister said that he will be one of the many presenters who will be hosting the show.

Rudd will be a part of the “Amanpour” episode that airs on CNN on Saturday, The Sydney Morning Herald reports. The guests that Rudd will interview on the show will reportedly include Costa Rican climate change negotiator Christiana Figueres and Aussie journalist Stan Grant.

Rudd’s interview with Grant will apparently focus on Australia’s “struggles” in “coming to terms with its past.” The major focus of the interview, however, maybe on climate change and the subject appears to be of some importance to Rudd.

In an article written by Rudd for The New York Times , titled “Paris Can't Be Another Copenhagen,” the former prime minister said that his experience had given him insight on how challenging it is for politicians to find a middle ground between the short-term interests of a nation and the long-term interests of the planet. He recalled how he was accused of “either doing too much or too little” after the 2009 Copenhagen climate change summit.

The next United Nations summit on climate change will be held from Nov. 30 to Dec. 11 in Paris and Rudd believes this to be an opportunity for politicians, especially those from countries with the biggest economies to “show real leadership.” He pointed out that some of the biggest polluters on the planet like the U.S., India and China have made commitments for reducing carbon emissions. He also says that a joint statement by these three countries at the conference in Paris in “unavoidable,” given the current state of the environment.

Rudd may highlight some of the challenges of the climate change summit in Paris at the “Amanpour” show. The former prime minister will be joined by political journalist Andrew Neil, historian Simon Schama, British paralympian Tanni Grey-Thompson and human rights campaigner Trevor Phillips, as the other temporary hosts of “Amanpour.”

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