This is Your Planet Speaking

(12/8/2007)

The more than 10,000 delegates attending the UN Climate Change Conference received something of a wake up call from Mother Nature Friday, December 7, 2007, when a moderately strong earthquake struck only 150 miles southwest of the island.

According to data provided by the U.S. Geological Survey, the tremor measuring 5.4 magnitude struck 10 kilometers below the ocean's floor and was felt in Bali, including at the Nusa Dua Complex which is playing host to the important UN conference. Too weak to generate a tsunami warning, no injuries or property damage have been linked to the earthquake which struck at 6:45 p.m..

While earthquakes are common in Indonesia, this is the closest a quake has been recorded to Bali for many months.

While there is no scientific link between earthquakes and global warming, some local environmentalists and friends of the earth are depicting the earthquake as a gentle reminder to climate change delegates that the "lady in charge" remains Mother Nature.