David King: At last, I’m hopeful about climate change

For those of us seeking to tackle the threat of climate change, 2006 was an encouraging year. At the start of the year, the conversation – when it took place at all – was about whether climate change was really happening. That discussion is now over.

This public shift has been mirrored in the political and industrial arenas. Australia was once vehemently opposed to the Kyoto Protocol, and indeed to any government-based incentives to attempt to cap carbon emissions. But in November, the Australian Prime Minister, John Howard, announced that fiscal measures were now necessary to deal with global warming. California, under Republican Governor Arnold Schwarzenegger, has even promised to reduce its emissions by a full 80 per cent by the year 2050, which is the highest formal commitment made anywhere in the world.

independent