The Financial Times reported that "Carbon prices plunged yesterday in the aftermath of the Copenhagen conference on climate change, dealing a blow to the credibility of the European Union's carbon-trading scheme."

An indulgence for a ton of carbon closed at €12.41, while "prices of more than €40 a tonne are required to stimulate investment in new low-carbon technologies." Oh no! This is-this is "bearish for the market and bearish for the world".

So where's a global warmist to turn now? Well, Robert and Brenda Vale are training their sights on Fido and the other family pets. See their new book , Time to Eat the Dog, the Real Guide to Sustainable Living. And how, you might ask, do the Vales sustain themselves? By teaching sustainable living at Victoria University of Wellington.

A medium-size dog had a carbon footprint about twice the size of the Land Cruiser, while a cat's carbon footprint was about equal to a small Volkswagen ... Two hamsters had the footprint of a plasma television, while a goldfish was comparable to a pair of cell phones.

The leftward alarmists are truly antilife. Books like the Vales' are warming us up for new policy initiatives. After all, we must do something! It's getting so warm in here! What can we expect from Copenhagen II, when limos will again be imported from Germany to ferry the concerned, green diplomats from one banquet to the next? Will I have to swallow my goldfish if I wish to get a permit to purchase a couple cell phones? Fry up the hamsters in order to apply for permission to buy a TV?

How about a Bowsers for Clunkers program? I roast the canines on a spit in the front yard in order to buy a lottery ticket which grants the privilege to bid on a Government Motors green machine.

Now there's a clunker.