Basin Bullet 2007-12

As I See It

Kevin07, Kevin07, Kevin07!

This is no longer simply a slick electioneering slogan that Australians are sick of hearing, it is the new catchcry of climate change activists around the world. And it’s not our Kevin – although the thinking world is grateful for the United States’ new-found isolation in this matter – it is Kevin Conrad, the delegate for our closest neighbour, Papua New Guinea, at the recent Bali conference on climate change.

Harvard educated Conrad, amid the growing frustration of delegates with the intransigence of the US delegation, leaned quietly to the microphone and said in measured tones: “We have a saying: if you are not prepared to lead, get out of the way. We seek your leadership but if, for some reason, you are not willing to lead, leave it to the rest of us. Please get out of the way.” He sat back amid wild applause and ... the Americans succumbed, and agreed to compromise on the Bali roadmap on climate change.

If the words and courage of a minnow on the world stage can sway a super-power, why can’t the words and examples of individuals at a local level sway the wider community, local government, and State and Federal politicians? Even tsunamis begin with a single tremor.

The Editor

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