It’s two years since we were told ‘the age of fossil fuels will end’. When will Australia get prepared for what’s coming?

‘On coal, Australia is shipping more of the thermal stuff than it was a decade ago.’ Photograph: Saeed Khan/AFP/Getty Images

The year is winding down and for some Australians that means thinking about Christmas or the beach. For others, it will mean considering how they will cope with the next heatwave or bushfire. Already, two states have been burning.

The least bold prediction for the summer is that temperature records will tumble. It’s what happens when temperatures are on average 1.5C hotter than a little over a century ago.