Australia on climate change. Again.

Editors note: Apologies for the recurring theme, but it such great material at the moment.

The International Panel on Climate change has issued a warning that climate change is happening far faster than previously estimated, suggesting I will be living on a beach front property in just a few years.

Environmental groups are suitably horrified.

Jan Kowalzig, climate and energy campaigner for Friends of the Earth, said “We can no longer afford to ignore growing and compelling warnings from the world's leading experts.”

“There's a clear message to governments here, and the window for action is narrowing fast. If the last IPCC report was a wake up call, this one is a screaming siren.” said a Greenpeace spokesperson.

The IPCC report said the warming was almost certainly due to human activity.

Prime Minister John Howard was characteristically defiant in the face of overwhelming evidence:

"We are not going to sacrifice the jobs of coalminers in pursuit of some kind of knee-jerk reaction," he told parliament. "We need a measured, sensible, consistent, intelligent reaction to the problem of climate change."

Opposition leader Kevin Rudd said "The problem for Australia is when it comes to climate change, Mr Howard just doesn't get it."

"Ten years of inaction, explain that. Australia now faces a fork in the road on climate change. Either Mr Howard's way ... which is a decade of inaction, or our way, which is the plan for immediate action."

Howard has previouly hinted that he would consider a Malthusian carbon trading scheme, which is consistent with his fanatical religious belief of free-market omnipotence:

"It is far better if you want to keep faith with the market approach to develop a carbon pricing or carbon trading system."

However, in the wake of a report from his very own emissions trading taskforce, Howard's "pro-Green" facade seemed to come crumbling down, despite heroic efforts of his cabinet.

Environment Minister Malcolm Turnbull said "Climate change is a fact, not a theory. We understand that," he said.

Turnbull did not elaborate is "we" included the PM, who seems a little confused by it all.

Dr Neville Nicholls, lead author of the IPCC report, said "It's not just something that a bunch of bleeding-heart, liberal, tree-hugging greenies made up. It's not a green conspiracy."

Howard remains unconvinced.

In the meanwhile, another cyclone is headed for North Australia, farmers have refused to give up any water, and the worst drought in living memory continues unabated.

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References here:
http://www.theaustralian.news.com.au/story/0,20867,21190081-601,00.html
http://www.theaustralian.news.com.au/story/0,20867,21190185-601,00.html
http://www.theaustralian.news.com.au/story/0,20867,21177181-30417,00.html
http://www.theaustralian.news.com.au/story/0,20867,21177182-30417,00.html
http://www.theaustralian.news.com.au/story/0,20867,21161595-30417,00.html
http://www.theaustralian.news.com.au/story/0,20867,21161461-30417,00.html
http://www.theaustralian.news.com.au/story/0,20867,21171112-30417,00.html
http://www.theaustralian.news.com.au/story/0,20867,21161452-30417,00.html
http://www.theaustralian.news.com.au/story/0,20867,21157028-30417,00.html

Gee, there sure are a lot.