I often feel like a naturally conservative gent strolling through later life with this orphan wretch of a child called climate change tugging at my trouser leg.
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While doing the research for this column, and let's face it, climate change is a complicated subject, I noticed how it's become a bidding war between the political parties.
They're trying to outdo each other, on intangible things like emission reduction targets.
The Coalition has a target to reduce emissions by between 26 and 28 per cent by 2030, based on 2005 levels.
The ALP wants a 45 per cent reduction by 2030 and the Greens of between 63 and 82 per cent to reach zero emissions by 2040.
The major parties are still grappling with coal-fired energy while the Greens want annual limits on exports and coal phased out by 2030.
I think Australians are making up their own minds.
A recent poll in The Sydney Morning Herald found that more than two-thirds of voters believed the federal government should do more to tackle climate change.
They're not embracing the statistics. They're being spooked by the weather and a 21st Century, crazy monstrosity of summer bushfires and overwhelming floods.
It doesn't take a genius to work out that the world is getting crowded and polluting more.
It's becoming part of our DNA. Little things like, my local council recently imposed a cost of taking green waste to the tip, but then when they achieve an enormous bonfire size of green waste, they don't chip it or mulch it up for recycling, they burn it and black out the sun for hours.
The Armageddon nature of summer bushfires is unnerving; giant fire storms destroying all plant and animal life.
Even COVID-19 has indirectly played a part. The pandemic has forced locals to think globally and when they do, they also get to see a big picture of the signs of climate change.
They can see beyond the backyard.
I'm not being very scientific but I'm not blind. The world is waking up to climate change. They don't expect radical change and the vast majority want local jobs preserved.
When the Morrison government says it will take the path of technological change rather than (carbon) taxes, most people agree, but they don't want clever arguments and massaged statistics to show how much we've achieved - they want the government to make the sweltering summers, mega-bushfires and doomsday floods go away
Now, to my point. Scott Morrison relies on his ability to manage change rather than excel at ideology.
Hence his popularity over managing the COVID outbreak last year, but he suffered because of his Hawaiian holiday during those mega-bushfires, the slow pace of the COVID vaccine roll-out and recently our belated response, along with our allies, in the Kabul evacuation.
Apart from occasionally being seen as a forthright, efficient manager we still don't know what Scomo stands for.
On climate change he's doing a Bill Shorten and trying to be all things to all people; a bit of coal and a bit of renewable and recycling etc.
To show us what he stands for on climate change he's got to take on the National Party.
He has to commit to zero emissions by 2050 or earlier and defy his Coalition partners.
In his bid to keep national cabinet alive over the pandemic he's trying to appease everybody but pleasing no one.
The Labor premiers are making life for him as difficult as possible.
He is at risk of being fatally sidelined.
He's a captive of the Nationals and imbecilic climate deniers.
If he wants to be competitive at the next election he must stare down the Nationals because they've got him in an ideological straight jacket.
He has to tell them clearly, that this is the Liberal Party policy on climate change and yes, it protects jobs, but if they don't like it, they can pull the pin on the Coalition.
The Coalition, or a fragmented form, will either lose the election outright to a majority Labor Government, or, Labor will sneak in with a minority and do a deal with the Greens, which will be just as bad.
Actually, an accord between Labor and the Greens would be the worse for the Libs because the Greens would force Labor to adopt many of its hard core policies on climate change.
Remember Julia Gillard, being forced by the Greens to ditch her ban on a carbon tax. "There will be no carbon tax under a government that I lead..." she promised just prior to election day.
It's one of Australian history's most memorable backflips.
If Scomo forces the Nats to backdown for the sake of a sensible climate policy he will win the next election, for sure.
If he tries to muddle on, keeping everybody happy, he's gone.
- Barry Prismall is a former The Examiner deputy editor and Liberal adviser
