Quote:
Originally Posted by Dutch101
We are all cooked based on the Australian response. IPCC says we should stop digging up coal within the next ten years. Australian government says the report is rubbish and we expect to double our coal exports in the next 5 years. I am glad I saw the great barrier reef in its prime 15 years ago. It might not last another 5 years.
I think that in general, humans and their institutions don't like react to problems until the problem smacks us in the face. Take the classic example of a stop sign or a speed limit not being placed at a dangerous intersection until enough people get killed in crashes. For a politician, getting your government to invest heavily into long-term projects that go beyond most term-limits doesn't get you votes or support, which is a shame. It seems most policymakers are holding back on imposing regulations, and instead are expecting private enterprise to solve the problem through technological innovation and such.
In the US, there is a phenomenon in which now, policymakers in dense urban areas (big cities), are paying much more lip-service to fighting climate change, in contrast to their federal govt, although I'm not sure if they're actually walking the walk with their policy. Here in Mexico, the federal government doesn't do all that much in regards to climate change, but the newly elected Mexico City mayor (here it's called the head of government, and there are 20+ million people in the metropolitan area), has a degree in environmental science. Do you see something similar in Australia?