Thanks for this analysis.

I hope you are right, but I'm far from convinced. Most of my acquaintances are science-literate enough to know what we face - yet any mention of climate change, however oblique, simply elicits an awkward pause followed by a rapid change of subject.

In my country (New Zealand) we have a general election coming up in a couple of months; climate is simply not a topic that politicians dare mention.

Mainstream media cover the current global spate of adverse weather events, but rarely link them to man-made climate disruption. Polls show that the majority are aware of what's happening and willing to act - but not if it means lifestyle sacrifices such as ditching flying or cutting holiday driving.

The only political parties with credible pathways to a liveable future are our Green Party and possibly te Pati Maori. Yet less than 10% of voters are likely to tick those boxes. Most people are deliberately looking the other way.

Is that because they find climate change overwhelming and feel powerless? I'd love to know. I suspect not; I reckon they see it as Somebody Else's Problem to be fixed sometime in the future. Most of us are not good at dealing with long-term, slow-burn threats.

In the meantime people appear to love their cars and long-haul flights too much to consider change. Our local branch of 350.org will be printing thousands of non-partisan pre-election leaflets asking people to vote with their kids' future in mind. We see that as the only lever that might break though the apathy.