At the APEC conference leaders of the Pacific Rim nations are huddled up in a well fortified section of Sydney where they have announced a sweeping new plan to address global warming in the form of "aspirational goals".

Recognizing the public's impatience and mistrust of voluntary measures to control greenhouse gases, world leaders like George Bush, Stephen Harper and conference host John Howard have given up on them. Aspirational goals, they assure us, will provide the effective solutions we need to tackle climate change.

So what is an aspirational goal? Clearly its a huge step forward for all nations. Now instead merely having industry set their own targets for reductions and ignore them, they will now have to "aspire" to reach them. For greater clarity here's YourDictionary's definition for aspire:

1. To have a great ambition or ultimate goal; desire strongly: aspired to stardom.

2. To strive toward an end: aspiring to great knowledge.

3. To soar.

Spirits are soaring now that leaders have endorsed an inspired plan to inspire industry to aspire towards the ultimate goal of reducing greenhouse gas emissions. The move will clearly succeed in helping business take a leadership role in implementing real solutions by giving them the freedom and flexibility to leverage their past success ignoring voluntary targets and misrepresenting global warming science.

I'm feeling aspired...Aren't you?