It is somehow appropriate that Australia – with its commitment to more coal production – is considered by climate scientists to be the planet’s canary in a coal mine. About 50,000 people were trapped by record floodwaters, said to be the worst in memory, if not all time. The event has been declared a natural disaster as more torrential rains move toward Sydney and Newcastle. 

The NSW State Emergency Service responded to over 535 flood rescues in 24 hours as six months of rain fell in one day..

More than 100 schools have been closed and thousands of homes and businesses are without power. 

To repeat: these sorts of lethal and extreme weather events are increasingly more intense and frequent as global warming accelerates.