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By Austin Wright
GLOUCESTER POINT
The Australian ambassador to the United States discussed the politics of climate change Friday at the Virginia Institute of Marine Science.
Dennis Richardson spoke about his country's recent stepped-up efforts to combat climate change, saying that after more than five years of droughts, Australia experienced a dramatic shift in public opinion on the issue.
"The drought that we've had has not just been something that farmers talk about; its something that affects people in towns and cities," he told the audience of about 100.
"Community attitudes in Australia have swung decisively to the side of those arguing that there is significant contribution to climate change from human activity."
Last year Australia's prime minister for more than a decade, John Howard, was defeated by challenger Kevin Rudd of the Labor Party. One of Rudd's first acts as prime minister was signing the Kyoto Protocol, a commitment to reduce greenhouse gas emissions.
Howard had declined to sign the protocol.
"We had a federal election last year, and for the first time climate change was a central part of the public policy debate," Richardson said.
He said Australia is implementing programs to teach citizens to use energy more efficiently and to help businesses adapt to climate change.
By 2010, the government plans to restrict carbon emissions using the "cap and trade" strategy, meaning the government will place a limit on carbon emissions and allow businesses to buy and sell emission permits.
Richardson said he believes the Bush administration has taken a more proactive approach toward climate change than most people think.
"I think your administration has done quite a bit and has moved a long way," he said.
"Next year, the United States will most certainly have an administration that will be committed to certain targets."
He said that both Barack Obama and John McCain, the presumptive 2008 U.S. presidential candidates, have made combating climate change a priority.
Richardson has been Australia's ambassador to the United States since 2005. He said that Australia is the world's driest continent, and that the effects of climate change will likely hit his country especially hard.
"It's one thing for scientists to talk about it," he said. "It's another thing for people to feel it."
Austin Wright, (757) 446-2667, austin.wright@pilotonline.com
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Dire situation
You have to understand the dire circumstance people in Australia are currently facing. I was home 3 weeks ago...entire lakes dried up, reservoirs at single digit capacity, stage 4 water restrictions, towns with no water except what is trucked in...it is very bad.
Amazing how that game works
It's amazing how that game works. You convince people that all weather events are global warming so they willingly hand over control of their lives over to the government. I see no one is out there trying to clear up that similar droughts have happened all through history.
It's a security issue...
One thing that Dems and Repubs should be getting together on is the environment. Reducing our dependence on foreign oil and fossil fuels will in the end save Americans money, stimulate economic expansion with new business, employ people at all income levels, and it will speed up innovation in a number of areas. Right now we are at the mercy of countries we depend on for oil. The war on terror will never be won as long as we are required to pander to dictators in order to get our oil.
I was once a staunch Republican - I worked on a number of campaigns at state and national levels. Thanks to Bush and friends, I am now an Independent and I find myself voting Democratic pretty often. Why? The GOP seems to be more interested in opposing what people do in their bedrooms and sending 19 yr olds off to die than cutting costs, improving the economy, or addressing the real problems Americans face. Many of the wedge issues they use to win should be left to the states. They also seem happy to ignore the Constitution as often as possible. Anyway, back to the issue at hand...
Cutting down on energy use saves money for the government and the average citizen. Our bills have gone down signific
Pinatoubo?
I agree man needs to do his part but if anyone thinks Mother Nature can be manipulated then lets start controlling the weather to our benefit.
Mt Pinatoubo polluted the earths atmosphere more than man has since day 1, shall we protest and ban Volcanoes?
Did man cause the drastic climate change that wiped out the Dinosaurs?
What about all the land mass that was once under water and now is not?
The historical facts show that man is a speck of dirt that can be erased by mother nature at any moment she chooses.