No Mud from Rudd

Rudd-a-dud-dud,
A man in a spud,
And why do you think it be?
The climate, the treaty,
The PM so fleety,
Watch him lie, while we plea!

So, enough with the rather pathetic rhyme, and a move to more serious matters. Rudd's in, and he's been in for a while. The smug, charismatic and rather clever diplomat is back with a smile on his face, and doing exactly what every elected individual does- not fulfil their promises. But hey, I guess crud is better than a coward (like Howard!). Alright enough with the lame attempts to be slightly amusing.

The issue in Bali is serious and a proposal of short-term emission targets are essential. Back in England, Sir Nicholas Stern (who commissioned the Stern Report) has been calling for 80% cuts by 2050 to avoid disaster. In Bali, these emission cuts are only about 30% cuts by 2020. These targets are essential: partially because they won't actually be achieved and partially because they may encourage others (such as the US) to actually think about their loneliness in the battle against Climate Change (no, President Bush, the warmer climate won't make people happier to give you a third-term).

Australia needs to start looking at its environmental impact. Not only for the thousands of climate refugees, but also for the safety and stability of its own community: farmers, citizens, and anyone who lives in the country and plans to continue to do so over the next 20 to 30 years.

EDIT: Watch him dither-dather! He's forestalling it to July next year after a government report is going to be published... There are clearly not enough climate change reports around to show how serious this situation is.