I don't think we're talking about individuals here, nor a few thousand people in the path of a huricane; not even a few million in a city that's facing destruction by earthquakes. We're talking about 5 .. 10 .. 15 percent of many different nations' populations moving en masse to the nearest place of refuge. Uncountable numbers. Where are they going to go? There will be hordes moving back from rising sea levels, and masses moving away from newly arid farmlands. Converging on inland cities to look for food and shelter, which, of course, they won't get without a fight. Then they will spread further inland to find somewhere else to settle. They will be resisted by people who are already very comfortable in their retreats in the mountains - NIMBY's if you like ... the "we don't want no intruders around here" brigade ... people who justify their selfishness by calling it self preservation ... people who would glady take aid if they needed it themselves ... who would steal if if they had to, and let the original owner go hang.

How well did the wealthiest nation in the world cope with Hurricane Katrina? Even with the massive aid provided by almost every other country in the world. I think it's generally accepted that it didn't cope at all well. It couldn't even distribute relief properly. (How dare the west criticise the Africans in future!) Inadequate preparations were made by the people responsible. Now who would that be? The Government? The City authorities? Individual people?

That's when politicians would earn their bread, by thinking ahead and planning for disaster. Building new inland towns, not holding camps. The days are long past when a government's job was just to keep the peace and to protect the land from invasion by foreign princes. Now they have a greater duty: to the global village they belong to.

Governments that neglect to make adequate provision for the population movements they face are going to have to deal with the breakdown of law and order that will be certain to follow any significant land loss, whether to the sea or to the weather. They can anticipate likely effects. If your government is pretending nothing's going to happen, then you should kick it up the arse, or take personal blame (same thing as personal responsibility) for the loss of life that will surely follow.

To me, an eco-terrorist would be someone who causes innocent deaths by wilfully neglecting to provide necessary protection when he could have. Who do you have in mind, Thorne? I would suggest the World leaders that are DUCKING THEIR RESPONSIBILITIES because they are to concerned about their own vested interest. I can think of two major nations: USA and Canada who are clearly neglecting their duty to their population, not by showing that global warming isn't happening, but by saying, if the poor nations don't do more than us to stop polluting, then we shall do nothing at all. Luckily for them, their populations don't seem to care much.

TYWD