Tonight my friend Wayan, a taxi driver I have called on a few times to take me from the obscenely opulent hotels of the Nusa Dua tourist enclave to my modest digs in the “rumah kos” of Jimbaran, where I pay quite a lot less for two weeks’ accommodation than almost all people here pay for one night, yet twice as much as the locals staying in these very tidy rooms (my landlady is very pleased to have me), told me a rather disturbing story about the impact of the UNFCCC on local working men.

Wayan, who’s about a week older than me with two children of similar ages to mine, works a 10-hour night shift driving taxis for the tourists in Bali. In spite of the massive number of people in town, they are all only doing very short trips between hotels to get from the various events and meetings, rather than travelling further afield. As a result, he is making a lot less money than he would during the normal tourist time. For his labours, Wayan never makes more than Rp 50,000 (AUD$6.15) in good times, but right now he is making around Rp 20,000 (AUD$2.45) a night.

At least we Australians have a relatively good reputation as coming from “tipping culture” and will give tips of Rp 2000 or Rp 5000 (AUD$0.60).

But I am told by Wayan — who, unusually for a Balinese person, appeared quite sad and angry — that Americans and Europeans will often quibble over change of Rp1000 or 2000, and insist that they be given this “small money” as change. The Japanese, who don’t come from tipping culture, never tip, which he accepted as he never expects them to.

For my part, I can’t help hoping that the lack of appreciation of the circumstances the ordinary Balinese find themselves in, thanks largely to the post-bombing tourist downturn, isn’t reflected in the chances of the global community coming together to act effectively to protect our common future.