Politicians are basking in the ‘thrill’ of fossil fuels, but this election is Australia’s last chance to reset our climate attitude

‘If all governments had climate targets matching those of Australia, we’d be heading to at least three degrees of warming, if not four.’ Photograph: Mick Tsikas/Reuters

What’s been astonishing about the Australian election debates is how they have completely sidelined the terrible disasters inflicted by climate change on our country over the last few years – indeed the past few months.

Right now there are residents of towns up and down the east coast whose homes have been destroyed by terrible floods – some of them twice in just a few short weeks.