What of our future in an environment of green fatigue?

The local paper (Daily Liberal) recently reported a story with a sub-heading "Temperature rise to be death knell for region". Professor Clive Hamilton (Centre for Applied Philosophy & Public Ethics) was quoted as saying "A 6 per cent average increase across western NSW would make that part of the State virtually uninhabitable." He suggests that Australian research indicates a jump in temperature would treble the number of the very hottest days over 40 degrees.

This article appeared only days after extensive media coverage of "green fatigue" (http://www.theaustralian.news.com.au/story/0,25197,26239892-26103,00.html). I also recently visited friends who were commenting that they thought the whole climate change "thing" and "green politics" was nothing but a diversion tactic being played out by politicians.

I also recently heard a very entertaining after-dinner speaker (a scientist) who disputed the science behind climate change predictions, indicating he thought it was more about which scientist or scientific institution could most scare the "bejesus" out people.

So, who is right? Maybe it is the sceptics. But I'd like to think that even if the worst case predictions are wrong, we just can't continue the way we have been. World populations have to slow down or stop growing, we have to clean up the way we live and reduce our reliance on resource-hungry ways of living. We only have one earth and she is fast running out of puff...she is literally holding the weight of the world on her shoulders.