It was the world's first major election driven by global warming. Australia's November 24, 2007 vote turned into a referendum on climate change, thanks to the country's devastating six-year drought. It's considered the worst in a thousand years and threatens to shut down farming in the nation's breadbasket, the Murray-Darling River basin. Even drier times may be coming: Climate scientists forecast inland temperatures 7 to 9 degrees hotter by 2070.
The specter of global warming spooked the Australian electorate. Unfortunately for then prime minister John Howard, he was the only leader of an industrialized nation to join President George W. Bush in refusing to sign the Kyoto Protocol. (Howard's response to the drought was "Pray for rain.") The economic growth for which he took credit was due in large part to the export of Australian coal to ravenous Indian power plants, and in the decade leading up to 2005, his compatriots emitted more greenhouse gases per capita than any in the world.
But Australians are having second thoughts. Last March, Sydney shut off its lights for an hour to show its concern, and last September, Al Gore toured the country promoting his movie An Inconvenient Truth. Howard refused to meet with him, saying, "I don't take policy advice from films."
Weeks later, Gore was calling on Labor Party leader Kevin Rudd to congratulate him on his sweeping victory. Rudd's party committed to a 60 percent reduction in Australian carbon dioxide emissions from 2000 levels by 2050, and among his first official acts as prime minister was traveling to Bali for the United Nations Climate Change Conference and signing the Kyoto treaty.
Go to the Australian Prime Minister's website to see his other initiatives. Hopefully, the American presidential elections will reflect a similar sea change in public opinion. And I suspect they might. Both senators Obama and McCain (my choices from the start of primary season!) believe in the reality of climate change.
It is interesting to note, though, that their solutions differ. McCain is vague, and says he wants to "limit carbon emissions by harnessing market forces," while Obama is more aggressive. He wants to improve energy efficiency 50% by 2030 and cut carbon emissions 80% by 2050. This is one reason why I've voting Democrat. Republicans just aren't stepping up to the plate.
