Australia

Just over a week ago the Australian government had to shelve it's climate change plans after the senate rejected them for the second time.

The government was hoping to making a start on cutting emissions by 25% after being elected promising tough action. However, since it didn't have a majority, it had to rely on the opposition to get the plans through. This wasn't seen as a problem because the leader of the opposition wanted the plans to go through too....but then he was deposed as leader by a climate sceptic, and that was that.

You'd think, in a country ravaged by extreme weather events, and forest fires, this would cause outrage but apparently not. Maybe because the sceptics portrayed the plans as a tax that would cripple Australian industry.

I can't say I know much about the proposed plans but they sound similar to the European Union's own Emission Trading Scheme, which has been in operation since 2005 and our industry is doing just fine.

Worryingly, Australians are the third largest CO2 emitters per head amongst developed countries at 19 tonnes per person. By comparison, we in the UK produce just 9 tonnes per head and my family are on 3.6 tonnes.

What with Obama struggling to get his climate change bill through in the States (who are on 20 tonnes per head by the way), these are depressing times. The climate sceptics must be loving it.