Rio will be like all the others in this endless parade of international meetings. There will be no result - and that's a good thing. If Australia should stand up and declare that the carbon tax is a mistake then that would be even better, but that's not going to happen.

Ms O'Brien should show real youth leadership in this respect and push for the summit to demand that existing emissions reduction programs be unwound as both costly and pointless.

As for the business about south sea islands sinking beneath the sea like Atlantis it has been shown time and again that the overall rise in sea levels to date has been trivial. The actual, global increase can be seen on http://sealevel.colorado.edu/ .

There are some individual islands where there are problems, but those are due to local factors which have nothing to do with climate change. So this talk fest will hold lengthy meetings to eventually decide not to do much about a problem that isn't relevent, rather than do anything directly to aid those islanders who have been affected.

Not so good..

When even Greenpeace can't put a positive spin on the Rio Conference, you know you're flogging a dead horse. Or perhaps a dead fish. At any rate, something stinks. But the activists and bureaucrats got their all-expenses-paid summer holiday, and it kept Julia Gillard away for a few more days, so we can't complain.

Fisheries is about the catching of fish, not about marine ecosystems, not about seagrass nurseries on which fish depend for food.

Julia Gillard is about legislating lies about CO2 while conflicting science is gagged.
Environment groups are into marine parks, not estuary seagrass.

In Solomon Islands there has been a 69% increase in maternal mortality linked to anaemia. Anaemia in SI is linked to protein deficiency malnutrition linked to devastated seafood. Some islands have adequate local fish, others not enough.

Right now island people need their pockets and purses stimulated in order to afford alternative food. Why just stimulate developed nation banks? People need essential protein.

Developed nation economists are advocating island agriculture, so get ready for more tropical forest cut and burn.

I see some Pacific islands have sunk down and some have risen up due to earthquake, nothing to do with CO2. But Shhhhhhhsh, developed nation CO2 scheme focused media does not report news of islands sinking.

Evidence of substance indicating ocean fish and ecosystem devastation has been and is still being gagged at major media editorial level. Why is that so? What motive?

It’s not fair. Human malnutrition and major organ failure, non communicable disease, mothers and babies dead, under 5 child mortality, diabetes linked to lack of balanced diet and plenty of sugar, legs amputated, blindness, many sad people, some more and more irritated, betel nut to overcome feeling of hunger, early preventable death, it’s all worsening and that is an absolute disgrace.

Evidence indicates whale starvation. Click - Show more comments - at :
http://www.menzieshouse.com.au/2012/06/unesco-shock-waves.html#comment-6a012876778d82970c016306726c88970d

Media rhetoric blames overfishing but fishing is not the problem, sure fishing has impact but the problem is destruction of food web nurseries supposed to supply food that fish need to eat. Animals don’t breed if lacking adequate food.

It’s all such a waste, human lives, GBR tourism, island and Australian coastal community economies, livelihoods and all.

We have always been able to limit the take by limiting the seasons; and or, getting very tough on illegal fishing/poaching.
Are we really stupid enough to lock out our own people and the eyes that watch foreign vessels and or what they try to take out or smuggle in?
The Greens seem to want to lock up vast tracts of underwater land, ostensibly to save the fish?
When in fact, their or only real goal may well be, to lock away hydrocarbon resources/reserves, that may well rival or eclipse the entire known Middle East reserves.
Reserves, which when exploited and turned into refined fuel products, produce four times as much carbon pollution, as our own almost ready to use as is, sweet light crude or NG.
And they claim they want to save the planet? Can they be serious, let alone trusted with our's or indeed, the planet's future!?
Very fishy indeed, and postulated at a time when our tourism industry, is simply sending our northern operators broke, by virtue of tourists simply staying away in droves?
Could it have anything to do with depressed economies and or people with far less discretionary spending at hand?
Even so, the broken record rhetoric of the rigid greens, assure that tourism will replace all the economic losses suffered, because of the imposition of their preferred policies.
Do you remember how tourists were going to take the place of sustainable logging in a now virtually bankrupt Tassie? Or Bass Straight, and how those oil rigs were going to destroy the environment?
Instead, those very same rigs have provided brand new sanctuaries for a whole host of sea life, and at direct odds with green prognostications?
Let's not be too hasty, but pause reflect and then take these premature plans and planning to an election, to at the very least, get the peoples' mandate! Rhrosty.