Wired magazine summarises the Washington conference on the issue of climate change succinctly:

Rice delivered her message at a White House-hosted climate change meeting, held just days after the United Nations met to discuss post-Kyoto greenhouse gas restrictions. Bush, predictably, skipped the UN meeting: he’s refused to ratify Kyoto, and won’t accept strict, mandatory climate change measures, even though nearly ever other nation agrees that they’re necessary. Even China and India are ready to negotiate.”(“Condi’s Latest Doublespeak: Fight Climate Change Like Terror” – Wired)

On the topic, it’s interesting to note the selective editing of Rice’s empty rhetoric by the media:

“If we stay on our present path, we face an unacceptable choice: either we sacrifice global growth to secure the health of our planet, or we sacrifice the health of our planet to continue with fossil-fuelled growth.” (“Warm words unconvincing” – Herald Sun)

“If we stay on our present path, we face an unacceptable choice: either we sacrifice global economic growth to secure the health of our planet or we sacrifice the health of our planet to continue with fossil-fuelled growth.” (“US pushes for clearer goals on clean air” – The Australian)

In stark contrast to the full text from the US State Government transcript:

“If we stay on our present path, we face an unacceptable choice: Either we sacrifice global economic growth to secure the health of our planet or we sacrifice the health of our planet to continue with fossil-fueled growth. This is a choice that we must refuse to make. Instead, we must cut the Gordian Knot of fossil fuels, carbon emissions, and economic activity. This current system is no longer sustainable, and we must transcend it entirely through a revolution in energy technology. So our third task is to work with private industry to develop and bring to market new energy technologies that not only pose no risk to economic growth, but can actually accelerate it.” (US State Government

Keep watching for the UN meeting in Bali this December. Over this side of the world, climate ‘shift’ is “no cause for panic” for John Howard (Link) – even the face of food shortages, water restrictions and escalating prices ( Link). In a surprising move, the federal government have comitted to new national “clean energy” goals by 2020 (Link), including solar, wind and clean coal, but also dropped the term “renewable”, potentially paving the way for nuclear energy (Link). The Sydney Morning Herald has already labelled the federal governments climate strategy “a disaster” (link)