There are now fewer than 10 days left of 2008. The election has long past – history didn’t get made (see Politiking in Style) with National sweeping into power and promptly disposing of, or postponing, many of the policies and legislation the Labour Government had put in place including the Emissions Trading Scheme (ETS).This scheme, while admittedly flawed in its finer details, offered New Zealand a way through our Kyoto Protocol obligations. For the uninitiated, under the Kyoto Protocol (an international agreement signed in 1997), participating countries must reduce their greenhouse gas emissions to set target levels.For New Zealand, this means reducing our greenhouse gas emissions (i.e. carbon dioxide, methane, nitrous oxide emissions) to below pre-1990 levels. If we fail to do this by 2012 (the first Kyoto period) then we’ll face a whopping bill from the Kyoto Protocol team to cover the cost of the emissions (which have been given a dollar value through the carbon credit system). We’re currently sitting around 25% above the threshold and our emissions are increasing – not decreasing – meaning our Kyoto bill could be in excess of a billion dollars (based on current carbon credit pricing).So what to do? In the mighty words of the Hitchhikers' Guide to the Galaxy – DON’T PANIC. The issue is complex and I make no bones about the fact that, although I know more than some about the ETS, I am still very much a novice in climate change politics.The new government is now reviewing the ETS and taking what it calls "a more modest view of New Zealand’s role in the global efforts to tackle climate change". It has – quite rightly – acknowledged the fact that the issue "is bigger than any single party and the challenge will span over several governments". While I’ll admit not a big fan of some of National's moves, I concede their approach to the ETS may heed a better outcome than had we rolled ahead with the original plan. The point is we need to be thinking long-term, not short-term in our approach to the scheme. Of course, don’t tell the foresters that – they’re the poor sods who are stuck in between the two government’s schemes wondering whether to plant or deforest.In the meantime, I'm doing my bit for reducing our carbon emissions by walking to work (or taking the bus on my lazier days), recycling as much as possible (though it bothers me immensely that soy milk containers can’t be recycled), and planting a vegetable garden. While it's not exactly a carbon sink, my wee vege patch is flourishing and looks to yield a promising harvest in the New Year.  If anything, it will mean we don’t need to drive to the supermarket for vegetables – thus reducing one more car on the road. This new found enjoyment for plants has extended to The Real Article clients who were recently treated to a selection of red hot chilli peppers, sunflowers and manuka to grow in mini greenhouses (supplier ProCard is on to a winning strategy here). Together, we'll keep cool in our gardens over summer while the politicians work out how to stop the world warming up.