It would not have been surprising to find that Tim Flannery was smug as well as green. He is, after all, a global man of the moment as well as Australian of the Year 2007. The world - even George W. Bush - is finally starting to heed warnings from Flannery and fellow scientists about the dire consequences of climate change.

Biologist, palaeontologist, explorer (he described 29 new species of living and fossil kangaroos) and successful author, he is now best known for his efforts to curb -runaway global warming. Like all good greens, he has plenty of facial hair.