BALI! BALI!

due to the appallingly inadequate media coverage
you'd be forgiven for missing it
but our greaters and betters have really sold us down the river this time
a near unanimous scientific concensus has now been reached
a real watershed in meteorological science
which concurs that this generation of humankind
has one fleeting opportunity to turn this ship around
before it capsizes and sinks
this is the calm before the storm
when the true effects of human indiscretion
are still largely hidden from view
what is happening represents the greatest market failure the world has ever seen
a total inability to internalise the externalities
to factor in the catastrophic effects of mass industrialisation
reflected in the stubborn 'business as usual' attitude
prevailing in the trade winds
as the planet silently cries out for succour
meanwhile in vain do i scan the news reports
for the words 'contraction & convergence'
a simple system which involves calculating
the number of carbos each planetary citizen can sustainably burn
and then setting targets for making gradual reductions in per capita consumption
a slowly adjusting carbon rationing system
based on democratic principles
where the wealthy lead the way and the poor eventually follow
hence the C & C
yet this elementary justice and equity is politically explosive
predicated as it is on the rich making 'sacrifices'
or should i say treading more lightly
for the sake of the rest of humanity
but ladies and gentlemen
these cards are nowhere near the table
no targets whatsoever were agreed in bali
despite all the noise and the sordid backroom deals
no binding commitment whatsoever was made
the global free marketeers are once again licenced to kill
to dig up, refine and trade with impunity
i say the time has come to step up to the breech
to give up waiting for our gutless political leaders to act
to take things into our own hands
to refuse to race over the edge of the cliff like lemmings
to refuse to comply with the insane demands of the free market profiteers
the northern rock parasites
and their ilk
who espouse the free market to make quick profits
then milk the public dry when they run into trouble
the time has come at last
to wrestle the ship's wheel from its drunken captains
to steer our vessel clear of the treacherous rocks that lie ahead
the ones that threaten to drown us and all our loved ones
so what are we waiting for?