- The sovereign atolls of Kiribati, Maldives, Marshall Islands, Tokelau and Tuvalu support around half a million people. At an average height of 2 metres above sea level it seems inevitable that these nations will be destroyed by climate change. In the precarious state that they the international community is concerned but unfortunately Australia, their largest political neighbour is acting in its own interests. Being so heavily dependent on Australia the Pacific atolls have relented the calls for ‘Firm measures’ to be taken and have resigned to their fate: ‘Being so small, we depend on them so much we had to give in,’ said Tuvalu’s Prime Minister Bikenibu Paeniu. Adding insult to the resolution the Australian government’s chief economic adviser on climate change, Dr. Brian Fisher, told a London conference that it would be ‘more efficient’ to evacuate small Pacific Island states than to require Australian industries to reduce their emissions of carbon dioxide. In a further disgusting display by the Australia government it refused entry to the Islanders to Australia and thus the Tuvaluans took the only course available to them and negotiated migration rights to New Zealand in the event of serious climate change impacts.

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- Change your light bulbs to energy saving ones. They may seem more expensive in the shop but they are 4 times cheaper to run and last 10 times as long. So once you do the maths they are several times cheaper.

- Insulate your house or flat. Household heating is responsible for 60% of domestic energy use. Once again you need to spend at the start (government grants are often available) but once you do then you will see your energy bill fall.

- Can you walk, cycle, take public transport, or share your journeys with other people? Road traffic accounts for 22% of CO2 emissions.

- Buy local – think global. The further your shopping basket travels the more CO2 is created for you to eat. Look carefully at where your goods originate from, if we can all keep things closer to home then we can save up to 3.5% of CO2 emissions.

- Do you need to fly? It is now cheaper to travel by air but more expensive on the environment. Aviation is responsible for 3% of all man-made CO2 emissions and that figure is rising rapidly.

- Standing by for destruction - Switch off all lights and electrical appliances when not in use – your TV left on standby can still use a quarter of full power.

- Fuel efficient car – Big car, big engine? 4WDs have become the popular cars to drive, in the city!? Get a car that suits your driving, save money on petrol, insurance, and service. Park more easily. How many seats do you really need? How far do you really go? How much load do you need to tow? By the time you find the odd time you need the extra you will find it is cheaper to hire the suitable vehicle than keep a beast on the road. If you want to be ultra efficient you could save most of your petrol bill to pay off a hybrid car.

- One cup or two, possibly eight? - Kettles account for almost one-third of the electricity used by cooking appliances in the home. Filling up the kettle over the point need for the cups you are making is just wasting energy, money and the environment. Next time make sure you only fill the kettle to the level you need.

- Waste not, want not – Recycle as much as you possibly can. Household waste increases greenhouse gases through landfill, incineration and by the demand of manufacturing new goods that could have be reused. Take your own sturdy reusable shopping bags instead of going through endless amounts of flimsy plastic ones.