The naval-gazing, science-denying attitude of all but two of the councillors was beyond belief.

I naively thought that society had moved on and that most of us now accepted that human activity-induced climate change was a reality.

Blind Freddy can see clearly the effects of rapid climate change in our own backyard over the past 20 years. The science is clear - it's happening.

The earth is in grave danger. As Midnight Oil said in a different context, "our beds are burning".

One councillor thought that there were more important issues to talk about, like footpaths for puppy dogs. Another kept on saying that he wasn't an expert, but ... he didn't think climate change was real.

Another thought the motion was an attack on council itself for not recognising the good works council were doing for the environment. Give me a break.

Another that he couldn't vote for the motion because there might be too much devil in the detail, without explaining what or who the devil was.

I could go on. The backward-thinking, head-in-the-sand, science-denying attitudes of the majority of councillors was, to say the least, disheartening.