“bura bura” – wandering (Japanese)
A couple of us attended the Dalai Lama's talk at The Domain on Friday (while wet, it was really good!).
Prior to the start of the talk, we couldn't help laughing at this part of the recorded message being spoken in the style of an airline safety spiel:
This is a not-for-profit tour. In the unlikely event of a profit…
I'm still trying to digest the report from the Prime Ministerial Task Group on Emissions Trading… although there are people in a far better position to comment on it than I, I read an editorial in the Sydney Morning Herald today that pretty much sums up my feelings on this:
The Howard Government's enthusiasm for such a leisurely timetable [in implementing an emissions trading system and setting an emissions reduction target] can only suggest that on global warming its main purpose is not to act, but to appear to act. In an election year is the proposed "detailed assessment" of a future scheme just a smokescreen, so to speak, to deflect voters' concerns?
I am saddened that climate change has become such a politicised issue that we now have mock action by the government, rather than concrete, progressive initiatives to address climate change. Prominent Australian businesses are already backing a 60% reduction in carbon emissions by 2050, yet the government needs another year (or more) in order to set a national target. These delaying tactics not only show a lack of leadership, but hurt businesses, communities and puts our future at risk. Where is real leadership when we need it?
