Pericles. I'm not sure who represents whom in your analogy. Does the paper represent the CFCs? Regardless, it must have been damned annoying walking behind that ignorant old fart cleaning up the mess left behind.

Now if we can just get a brownshirt reference we'll be done and dusted

Damnit pericles. Stop writing stuff I agree with!

On July 1st 2008 India released it's Climate Change Plan.

The five key points to emerge from this plan document are -

No firm link between the documented changes and warming due to anthropogenic climate change has yet been established;
Need for energy to meet the developmental aspirations of the people;
Promote energy efficiency and development of alternative sources of energy
Every citizen of the planet should have an equal share of the planetary atmospheric space;
Rejection of any national emission target.

The IPCC predicted a possible 50cm sea level rise by 2100 in an extreme. The Australian Meteorology Bureau recently published a paper stating that their research found NO evidence of increased storms and severe weather events. They were telling us 20 years ago the great barrier reef was doomed, it's still there albeit suffering from runoff from cane fields.

Where did Garnaut get all his evidence that such a young mind could believe enough to write an article such as this?

I'm totally baffled.

Yes Pericles, there's a man in my neighborhood who should be thanked by us all for keeping the martians at bay all these years with his daily rituals.

"Up to 9500 heat related deaths in Queensland" in 2100. It's quite a bold prediction.

I wonder if anyone successfully predicted in 1914 that there would be up to 77 AIDS-related deaths in Australia in 2006, 72 heart transplants, 1598 road deaths, and 30 billion pages on the world wide web. Given the events of the 20th century, I'm guessing the world in 2100 won't be like anything we can even imagine. It's doubtful we even know what predictions we should be predicting.

Anna well done. I do not agree with you but I like your youthful idealogy and respect you for your courage in the forthright expression of your views.

I am sincere and do not wish to appear to be condescending.

I am surprised you didn't mention AGW at all. I hope this adoption of the term 'Climate Change' by you and indeed by many others who share your views is not an indication that you are covering your bases.

I think we all accept, or at least cannot disprove, recent research which indicates temperatures are not increasing but are either falling or have stabilised, despite increasing carbon emissions.

What I would disapprove of, seriously, is if the climate change lobby at some point replace claims man-made carbon emissions cause Global Warming with claims those pesky emissions also cause Global Cooling.

sorry, anna, but you're clueless.

1. no one 'must' do anything. the government will do what it perceives is in it's best interest. you will not be consulted.

2. renewables can support human society, but the changeover is expensive and unsettling. it won't happen in a country like australia which is making a good living from mining fossil energy.

3. the garnaut report is surprisingly effective in outlining the situation, it's too bad that the power to actually do anything in a concerted way is in the hands of a few hundred people whose careers depend on not upsetting people.

4. but don't worry: maybe the situation is not as bad as feared. or, maybe it's worse, and everyone dies. or, it is bad but survivable and you can say "i told you so."

5. people in california, when confronted with a situation politicians dare not deal with, act themselves with a 'citizen initiative.' they can do this because they are citizens. you and i can not, because we are merely subjects. i often wonder why ozzies endure this political subjection, but have been forced to conclude that being raised in subjection creates a slave-like submissiveness that is more effective than a steel collar and weekly whipping. invisible chains bind you, if your mother told you the story of the 'emperor's new clothes', you missed the point.