There are a range of associated impacts related to increasing temperatures which affect both evaporation rates and river systems, which are already over stressed, and these will hit farming communities and the health of crop lands.

And living in Australia I am relatively well off.

I have always had, as I know many people have, a singular passion for Australia. I do love the sunburnt country, its ancient landscapes, its exhilarating reaches of sand and sea.

But no matter how big the effort to push a propaganda line might be, climate change is bigger. This, undoubtedly and regrettably, is the biggest immediate long-term environmental challenge we face. A failure to concretely come to some policy outcome on climate change has not only a negative environmental impact but also social and economic consequences for us.

Once you start to look into the guts of climate change you find that just about every scientific institution in the world is conducting research on the issue.

Some people are born with the necessary gift, and some work hard to build on the few gifts they have.

At an everyday level I would reckon myself more than fortunate.