When I was young our existential fear, despite the doctrine of Mutually Assured Destruction, was nuclear annhilation. With the collapse of the Soviet Union, this fear evaporated and for a while we enjoyed a period of relative safety.
Only recently have we woken up to an even greater threat to our future wellbeing, namely that of global warming. There is no doctrine to assuage our fears this time, rather we're faced with scenarios that vary between a planet restricted to certain regions that will still have liveable conditions to one where it will be impossible for the human race to survive.
If that sounds alarmist, it should. This threat to our existence is alarmingly real. Yet we find ourselves unable to face up to it. Governments choose to either ignore the threat or take baby steps to deal with it.
The Australian Federal election campaign is underway. So far, global warming crisis has failed to feature in debates and policies, apart from a totally farcical discussion about the capacity of an electrically-powered vehicle (EV) to pull a caravan.
How can we avoid being wiped out as a species when this is the best our leaders and potential leaders have to offer?