We need a price on carbon that accurately reflects its real costs on our society and our wellbeing.

If we smoke, there's no magic number of cigarettes, or number of years, that we can smoke before we know we'll get lung cancer.

There is also a great deal of behind-the-scenes pressure from political funders too. And by funders I don't just mean the fossil fuel industry. Many of those exerting pressure on our society to ignore climate change, oppose climate change legislation, and shut down efforts to develop a clean energy economy are doing so out of ideology, not just economics. In the simplest terms, many large industries don't want the government telling them what to do with their businesses and they don't want any restrictions on what they can and cannot do, which includes polluting our shared environment.

It's a common perception that science and religion are mutually exclusive. But there are many scientists who would consider themselves to be spiritual people.

We need a price on carbon that accurately reflects its real costs on our society and our wellbeing.

It's a common perception that science and religion are mutually exclusive. But there are many scientists who would consider themselves to be spiritual people. Not only that, but in the case of climate change - a scientific issue with strong moral implications and difficult decisions to be made - it's essential to connect the science to our values. And for many of us, our values come from our faith.

I think it's interesting that the United States and Australia are two of the most individualistic nations in the entire world in terms of national personality.