As the calamities mount, the repercussions are threatening to catch up with the culprits. In 2025 the International Court of Justice ruled unanimously that countries have a binding legal duty to protect the environment from greenhouse gas emissions and can be held responsible for climate damage. That ruling was endorsed by the General Assembly of the United Nations.

From prime minister Tony Abbott (climate change is “absolute crap”) to Scott Morrison holding up coal in parliament (“don’t be afraid, don’t be scared, it won’t hurt you”) to Anthony Albanese’s rollout of more massive greenhouse gas-emitting projects, Australia’s days of reckoning are inevitable.

The first thing we should do in the wake of the Himalayan disaster is stop more fossil fuel projects. The 2028 election will be the next test of the nation’s conscience.

I wonder, harshly, whether half the electorate even has a conscience about climate responsibility?