A glossy brochure. With an address insert. In an envelope. From the PM. Boasting about his environmental accomplishments.
Something inside me decided, a while ago, that the turning point for the human race is the Kyoto Protocol; if we manage to make it work, we survive as a species, and if we fail, we become extinct and the Earth spends a million years quietly repairing the damage. This may not be wholly realistic: every generation thinks the End is Nigh, there are other factors at play, the wealthiest fraction of the species may yet survive to catastrophe. But I think that, for me, Kyoto has become a symbol of whether humanity will choose long-term survival over short-term monetary gain.
Mr Howard is against it.
On a smaller scale, I feel bloody sorry for the folks in Tasmania whose livelihood depends on destroying old growth forests. What a predicament to find yourself in - you either wreck one of the last remaining bits of wilderness, or you don't eat, and people all over the country and all over the world want you to give up your work. The government's responsibility has to be compensating the forestry workers, finding or creating new jobs, reskilling, paying to relocate people - whatever it takes. Even with all that, it will still be a huge disruption to the workers' lives, but there is no choice. Jobs can be replaced but old growth forests are irreplacable.
The election is tomorrow, from 8 am to 6 pm. Check the
Australian Electoral Commission Web site for your local polling place and candidates. If you don't want a handout, say "No thank you" and keep walking. Be nice to the volunteers inside the polling place - they make it all possible!
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