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strong>Nov. 15, Online/AP

Australia'€™s prime minister vowed that world leaders would deliver on an initiative to add US$2 trillion to the global Gross Domestic Product (GDP), promising freer trade and more investment in infrastructure as heads of the 20 largest economies began cementing plans to drag sagging growth out of the doldrums.

Prime Minister Tony Abbott, who has repeatedly promised that this year'€™s Group of 20 gathering in the Australian city of Brisbane would be more than a talkfest, said the growth plans would add millions of jobs and boost global GDP by '€œmore than 2 percent'€ above expected levels over the next five years.

Your comments:

Global warming has caused negative effects for the world economy. However, any effort has to be international in scope. Many countries will simply say it has nothing to do with them. All countries must be in this together for any measures to be effective.

Tara Neomu Yeppeo

The other problem is that while leaders like [US President Barack] Obama may push measures, they also face hostile parliaments that may negate any proposed action. There is an energy-entitlement syndrome in many countries that fosters the use of private rather than public transportation and, of  course, excess use of air conditioning and electricity for lighting.

Many vested interests combine to promote the ideas of climate-change deniers. This, of course, includes those who are causing the significant loss of forest. Hence there will be strong resistance to making changes.

Jagera

The end of the G20 also brings the reality that national leaders reveal their true selves to international politicians and their electorate. For Obama the problem is facing a hostile, rabid Abbott who is hoping media attention had turned away and  openly clashed with the US President in a fiery end to Brisbane'€™s G20 leaders'€™ summit.

Prime Minister Tony Abbott turned on  Obama behind closed doors yesterday, declaring  there could be no effective action on climate change without a strong economy and  strongly endorsing fossil fuels.  

Nor did  the  rabid  Abbott  address calls to pay into a global Green Climate Fund backed by the US. More to the point, and displaying true colors, he also refused to commit to new emissions-reduction targets as set out in the final G20 communique agreed by all leaders.

Seriously, the G20 leaders should rein in this rabid short-term leader.

Perhaps then, and only perhaps then, the blind members of the team who have climbed onto the climate change bandwagon for the G20 might see the light and the number of terms will be one.  

Nones