I have but few words to say to that: “God Help us All!”

For too long Howard has managed to stumble blindly along in Bush’s wake, acting almost as if he was Bush’s man in the Australian Government, and ignored the responsibilities that he was given, if not as leader of Australia, but as a sane (we assume) human being.

I’m allowed to be this callous too. You see, I’m an Australian, and I’ve had to suffer through the past decade or so with Howard at the helm, and watch as he decided it would be funny to steer us right at those rocks over there that say "Global Warming!" and other such issues.

Together with Bush, Howard decided to forego signing the Kyoto Accord, as it would apparently not sit well economically if countries like Australia, America, etc, were forced to meet carbon emission cuts and countries like China and India were not. What’s been weird is that, despite this apparent desire to see their respective countries continue to pollute the world to extinction, both leaders spearheaded local and international calls for global emissions cuts!

Pardon me if I’ve missed something, but wasn’t that was the Kyoto accord was all about? Granted, it left out some rather major polluters, but you have to start somewhere.

This rant comes in response to the fact that Howard is this year leading the APEC (Asia Pacific Economic Cooperation) forum in Sydney, and has apparently put atop the agenda the desire for the 21 member-countries to formulate a plan to combat global warming.

It was only a month or so ago that Howard used a report delivered by "experts" to publically suggest that the warming we are experiencing is simply a natural occurrance, and that the "crisis" that is all but eating his breakfast is non-existent.

The facts are, though, that we are indeed in the grip of a natural global warming, but that due to the increase in carbon emissions – unheard of when my dad and the dinosaurs were around – the warming cycle has been escalated to a point where it is essentially on the verge of being out of our control.

It is this escalation that scientists, researchers, laymen and my cat see as a crisis, and that must receive direct attention immediately.

Thankfully, it seems, Howard, Bush, and other world leaders are beginning to realize that we weren’t all spouting rubbish to scare everybody in to not voting for them, and that there is actually a problem at hand.

This is exemplified by the agreement that has – according to inside sources from the APEC forum – been reached by the 21-member countries meeting in Sydney. Indonesia’s envoy – Salman Al-Faris, who was involved in formulating the agreement - has said that a major concession by the poorer countries involved has lead to setting an "energy intensity" reduction target.

The agreement was for all 21 APEC members to work towards a 25% cut in energy intensity by 2030, according to a Southeast Asian official who only commented on condition of anonymity. This agreed target comes despite the poorer countries saying they would not agree to a fixed target. The reduction forced developed nations to recognize - in compromise - that the U.N. believes poorer nations to have fewer responsibilities when it comes to cutting carbon emissions.

"Everybody cannot get everything, but everybody did not lose too much," Al-Farisi said of the compromise. "It is up to members’ discretion to follow, in accordance to their national programs," he added to the fact that any APEC agreement is non-binding.

This all came after George Bush had made his speech to business leaders, saying that "The United States is committed to seizing this opportunity and we need partners in this region to help lead the effort." He also pressed the member-nations of APEC to reach a conclusion on Global Warming, the topic that Howard has put at the top of the agenda.

Putting aside the fact that, if we were to look at the world’s leaders in the fight against global warming, the US would come somewhere in the last third, I think it is time to say that, we’re glad America has finally decided to come to the party, even if they’re the smug guy over in the corner acting as if he had planned the party.

On a lighter note, approximately 200 world religious leaders met Friday on a cruise ship amid icebergs near Illulisat on the west coast of Greenland. Their aim: to pray for … well, something!

Apparently, so as not to follow in the steps of the 11th-century English King Canute who prayed to stop the rising tide, the participants – a mixture of Muslims, Jews, Buddhists and Christians – prayed to express a common concern about climate change and global warming, rather than ask a higher power to halt or reverse the current ice-thaw occurring at the north and south poles.

"In our small world we all need to struggle together," said Sofie Petersen, the bishop of Greenland.

Patriarch Bartholomew, spiritual head of the world’s Orthodox Christians, lead the assembled in a two minute prayer, where those attending noted that the overwhelming sound was that of water lapping against the icebergs in the fjord; a fitting soundtrack to a needed step forward by a powerful group of humans.

In reality, I do not think I could have ended an article primarily focusing on the exploits of George W. Bush and John Howard better than by mentioning a prayer vigil. Maybe we should all begin praying for another miracle at the APEC forum.

APEC 2007

ENN

APEC draft climate statement seen a compromise

Bush presses Asia-Pacific on trade and climate

Religious Leaders Unite In Prayer On Climate Change

Image courtesy of APEC 2007 Taskforce