I once heard someone liken the issue of climate change to that of smoking 30 years ago. The vast majority of evidence demonstrated that smoking caused cancer, but there was some evidence (mostly from research funded by tobacco companies) that this was not the case. This is analogous to the current debate over climate change. The vast majority of research shows that human activity, specifically the emission of greenhouse gases, causes climate change; there are a few theories and some evidence (mostly from research funded by major polluters) that this is not the case. The question that we must now ask ourselves is, do we act now on the evidence that we have, or do we wait, and potentially give the world cancer?

Last night’s election debate was about as exciting as watching grass grow. Are Julia Gillard and Tony Abbott actually conspiring to send Australia to sleep over the next four weeks?

We need to seize this opportunity to participate in the national political conversation and to make our voices heard. It’s time to have a proper conversation, one that moves beyond simple slogans and political hyperbole. We need to talk to our representatives, and those who run against them, about the things that matter to us. Equally as importantly, we need to speak to each other.