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I haven't changed a light bulb for over 5 years, because like most British people I've gone over to long-life flourescent ones. From the recent debate on this web site it's clear that, like many ecological measures, this is still far from the norm in the States, where many people still use power-hungry incandescent lights. It's really weird how far Americans are behind other developed countries when it comes to ecology - presumably because the world's most powerful country is the target for the oil industry lobby, and they have succeeded in keeping these issues off the agenda. Again and again, you find issues that are big news in Europe don't receive much coverage in the US media. Friends in Iowa, for example, were surprised that we avoided buying GM products - just not an issue back home.

The Bush administration has fought a long campaign, not just against Kyoto but to water down any UN proposals on climate change. It is almost inconceivable that a country with such a first class university system, responsible for training more scientists than any other nation, should have a President who not only refuses to take action over global warming, but prevents the rest of the world from doing so. This is probably the greatest crime of which posterity will find him guilty - which is saying something. The scientific consensus is that greenhouse gas emissions are behind global warming, and the precaustionary principle means that along with all other measures those gases must be reduced. But that simple truth hasn't reached the White House, which operates in a parallel reality, in which there is no civil war in Iraq, and the battle of Armageddon is going to resolve the Middle East situation.