IT’S about time Australia took a more mature approach to the issue of climate change.While nations around the world debate approaches to counteracting the impacts of global warming, Australia is still debating if humans are influencing our climate.According to The Critical Debate report released yesterday, “the evidence that the earth’s surface is warming rapidly is now exceptionally strong and beyond doubt”.Even the federal opposition climate action spokesman Greg Hunt said: “there is bipartisan support in Australia in support of the science of climate change, as presented in this report”.But still there are many in his party, and in the wider community who refuse to accept that climate change is real, or that CO2 levels are increasing due to human activity.For every scientist who supports common acceptance of global warming, the sceptics can roll out one who says the opposite.But there needs to be a point where we, as a nation, take a side. And in this case, the cautious approach is to act, rather than do nothing.It is time for the conversation to move past the debate and onto what we can do to ensure that we are acting before a crisis is upon us. Simply, the time is now.In this sense, the Julia Gillard-led government, which is struggling to win a debate on the science, will find it even more difficult to sell a carbon tax. There are major industries and service providers in Australia which have been more than willing to expose the costs to householders of the tax. Inevitably, the price of petrol, food and other goods and services will increase.The government has a plan for compensation but has been too slow to set a definitive carbon price and therefore the assistance for mums and dads. It has become beholden to the Australian Greens and the vagarities of a parliament held together by pieces of string.More decisive action is required to take the debate from “should we” to “how can we”.As a country so reliant on industries which produce CO2 emissions, it is encumbent upon Australia to meet its obligations to reduce its carbon footprint.If we choose to do nothing and global warming becomes a major factor in our lifestyle, it will be our children, and grandchildren, who face the consequences. No matter which side of the debate you are on, that is not a palatable outcome.