"Speaking at a business lunch in Sydney, the prime minister was quoted by the ABC as stating 'It is essential that action is rapid, comprehensive and global'. True, he wasn't speaking about climate change, but urging action from the G20 and the world's banks on so-called 'toxic assets', which he said were endangering the international flow of credit.

Australia's GDP represents a similar percentage of the world economy that its greenhouse contribution represents as a percentage of global carbon emissions. So why - modest player that we may be - can we have bold statements of leadership by our prime minister on one vital global issue but not the other? Why is climate defeatism acceptable, but economic capitulation unthinkable?"

From http://www.abc.net.au/unleashed/stories/s2519215.htm