Wisdom is our last resort

U.S. president Barack Obama was strongly
supported by the crowd at the University
of Queensland when he mentioned
climate change.

Wisdom is our last resort in fending off the worst of climate change.

Sadly it is a quality which has eluded many of the world’s leaders who are hostage to the idea that a burgeoning economy and its implicit growth will position all nations to deal with the unfolding dilemma of a damaged climate.

Unfortunately it is “game over” for the neo-liberals, who seemingly are unaware that nature bats last.

It takes a wise man to understand when a drought has started and someone of even greater wisdom to be able to comprehend that today’s behaviour is the foundation for the superstructure that will become your life.

Australia is presently governed by people who obviously understood that fundamentality and have risen to positions of power and influence, but like an in-grown toe-nail, that wisdom has lost its way, become painful and in terms of advancing Australia has become a burden, rather than a bonus.

Australia’s Treasurer, Joe Hockey, appeared on ABC24 today and struggled to answer questions from Barrie Cassidy about the importance of including discussions about climate change on the G20 Summit agenda.

Adhering to his government’s line that the G20 was about the economy, which he said would help lift people out of poverty, secure jobs for millions and enrich the world’s infrastructure, Mr Hockey appeared unable to connect a healthy economy to a stable climate; a climate that ensures humanity, and the countless other species we depend upon, can survive and prosper.

The wisdom Australia so urgently needs is not be found in Canberra, and so wasn’t at the G20 Summit, but the wisdom does exist and was on show in the audience for the world to see when U.S. President, Barack Obama, spoke at the University of Queensland soon after arriving in Australia.