Vital decisions delayed as catastrophe nears

Already, the first global warming refugees are preparing to leave their homes. Late last year, the Papua New Guinea government decided to start moving ten families at a time from the horseshoe-shaped Carteret atolls in the Pacific to Bougainville, a larger island some 60 miles away. The Carterets are only 1.5 metres high and are projected to be completely submerged by 2015. Scientists are concerned -- but politicians are not taking action. How much more evidence do we need before we begin taking steps to avoid catastrophe? The US Administration and the Australian Government continue to block effective international action, other world leaders talk a lot about global warming but avoid action because it might cost them too much in their headlong rush for economic growth. But is the cost of New Orleans and half of Florida being under water an acceptable price for America's oil addiction, President Obama? If the politicians won't jump, it's up to every one of us to take positive action to avoid the worst consequences of global warming. We can all take some steps to help the climate. If possible, buy your energy from a renewable energy supplier. If your politician doesn't act on global warming - vote for someone else who will. Only when politicians feel the heat from voters will governments shift their investments from dirty fossil fuel technologies to clean, renewable energy sources that do not cause glaciers to melt, seas to rise and more people to die from increased extreme weather events. We cannot wait for an illusory 'silver bullet' of future technology to 'solve' all the problems. We have the tools to start; what we are missing is the political will. Ziaul Shams Hatirpool, Dhaka