Well its official I live in a country headed up by an ostrich. While we head for the largest ever disaster to affect the planet since the collapse of the last ice age, the prime minister argues that we should not be engaged in Kyoto style arrangements because those other countries (interestingly India and China get a mention for more frequently than the worlds largest polluter) have so far refused to sign up. And yet one wonders if the fact that Australia produces the largest amount of coal (30% of the worlds total according to the coal association) in the world to both those markets might not be more important.

Perhaps Australia should be looking at coal in the same way we current look at uranium - a highly dangerous if very profitable resource. Where we require that those who use the resource sign up to minimal standards (perhaps cleaner power stations, carbon sequestration).

It seems that I will be returning to work sooner than I had originally arranged (1 week earlier)