What a load of sanctimonious claptrap. CO2 is and will remain a trace gas in the atmosphere. The amount of CO2 in the atmosphere generated by mankind is a tiny percentage of the natural CO2, which in turn is driven by solar global temperature variations. The Emperors preparing to gather in Copenhagen can primp, posture and pontificate forever, but they won't change the climate one iota. The Emperors have no clothes, not a shred of logic or reason, but they know how to play a crowd. However they can, if they really try, change the economic climate to destroy our carbon-based society. The fad for 'renewables' depends on reliable and cheap base-load power. Looks good on the surface, but behind every windmill and photovoltaic cell is a network of conventional coal-fired power and petroleum and gas transportation fuels. Do the sums. Read the work of Prof Ian Plimer, Prof Bob Carter and others who really know what they are talking about. Reflect on the wisdom of King Canute who acknowledged he could NOT turn the tide, unlike our modern day pretenders who claim they can limit climate change by taxing and regulating a tiny little component of an atmosphere where the principal 'greenhouse gas' is water vapour.

Hooray for Kellie.

I quite like these two references which are very much about standing up for the planet and the non-human inhabitants of this mostly non-human planet too. And of course the health and well-being of humankind too (because in our current state we ARE destroying both the planet and ourselves)

Indeed the ZOO itself was purposely created as an educational tool to re-educate humankind altogether in its attitude to the "environment".

1. http://www.cameland.blogspot.com

2. http://www.dabase.org/embrace.htm

At heart we are all environmentalists.

Rich people most often choose to live in places/houses that are surrounded by bountiful beautiful gardens---and as far away as possible from industrial areas and slums and the western suburbs

The images of Paradise that we have inherited from our Traditions are all about bountiful green gardens.

Plus when many people go on holidays they go to the country or the seaside to refresh their being altogether.

How many tourist resorts are situated in the middle of oil refineries and mega-industrial sites, or bombed out cities, or the decaying ruins of Detroit.

excellent article, kellie - thank you. you are asking rudd and turnbull exactly the right public-interest questions - questions we all need to ask, and to both of them.

and john mcrobert - just another grumpy old man denialist, trotting out more tiresomely familiar sceptic's handbook dogmas and slogans. I wonder, do such people think that by flooding opinion websites with the same old stuff, they are convincing anybody except themselves?

i think of them sitting at their computers every morning, poised to get the first published response in to every serious-minded e-published essay on climate change. And it is always the same kind of response, the same tired old factoids ...

when will these pseudo-scientists offer any arguments of sufficient merit to be published in peer-reviewed journals like 'Nature' or 'Science''? Never - their arguments on examination just blow away, like the millions of tons of red dust topsoil that just blew out of central australia. people can see this propaganda for what it is.

Being a non-expert on the science of climate change, I put my faith in the experts rather than give free reign to my prejudices. Though not unequivocal, there seems to be overwhelming scientific consensus about climate change causes and projections. What I do feel a little more confident discussing is human prejudice, which is ultimately self-serving; which is also why the human race is such an irresponsible scourge on planet Earth.
In my opinion the only thing to do is take action over global warming out of the democratic equation. No decent mandate is ever going to be delivered by a pig-ignorant electorate that would rather go into denial than contemplate a drop in their disparate and glutinous living standards.
Climate change policy should be decided by a convention of nations such as the UN; the issue is just too politically damaging for any nation to act decisively and ethically on its own. The matter must engender an international convention that shares the expense and risk of whatever global response is mounted. If ever there was a basket case for international diplomacy, this is it. Governments have to be protected from the political backlash of acting correctly on their own. Having done that, the necessary exigencies, rationing etc., can be put in place in all countries signatory to the cause. Rogue states could be dealt with via sanctions, trade embargoes etc.
If the experts are right, we are facing a global emergency that, as in times of war, could build community spirit and a common sense of purpose.
Global warming (even if it ends up a furphy) presents an opportunity for us to clean up our individual and collective act and forestall Gaia’s terrible wrath. Even better, we might eventually deserve a benign dominance (tyranny hitherto) over the bio-sphere.
Way too big an issue for our flatulent electorates!

Clearly human beings are a plague, governments represent super-human wisdom, people have no right to a say on whether they should be forced to obey, and everyone who disagrees with the climate fascists should be shot, so as to harmonise the human with the non-human aspects of "the environment".

Just one question though: what are Kellie, Squeers and tonykevin doing using electricity? How can you possibly square that with your the values you are trying to force on everyone else? I guess your use of fossil fuels is superior and privileged.

Rudd and Turnbull have no credability when it comes to serious energy reform.

Their parties' actions and policies on a Pollution Reduction scheme obscenely support massive free permits to gross polluters. Their high risk plans for pie in the sky, unproven carbon capture and storage tell the world a great deal about our addiction to coal.

Utterances on climate change from Rudd, Turnbull and the Nationals show the world that ugly Australians lead this country for elites who have no empathy with the billions of people and other life forms caught up in this unfolding climate catastrophe.