I’ve had a long battle with climate despair. Now I’m leaving the ‘denial machine’ to their demons

An Extinction Rebellion climate activist outside Parliament House in Canberra in July. ‘How does one cope with the fact there are people in our community who worked doggedly to stop Australia responding to the unfolding crisis and are still at it?’ asks Clive Hamilton. Photograph: Blake Sharp-Wiggins/The Guardian

After years of robust campaigning for climate preservation, writing books on climate change, scores of articles and hundreds of public talks – not to mention serving on the Climate Change Authority, helping set up an international taskforce and running for parliament – I couldn’t take it any more.

I became so despairing about where we were heading and the unwillingness of most to face up to reality that I stopped working on climate change altogether.