The reluctance to sacrifice one's standard of living is understandable especially since virtually no one else in the world is doing it, and no one has gone any where near as far.

The net result of Australia going it alone is Zero.

I'm sorry -- WHICH approach is supposed to be like paralysis? Going on with a growing global economy, feeding billions of people, bringing them rapidly out of poverty, improving their health and reducing infant mortality, all through the use of fossil fuels: or going back to the Middle Ages, and staying there?

The reason people oppose AGW 'mitigation' is because it's a bad solution to a non-problem, not because of any kind of hypothetical grief.

And while we're on the subject of 'paralysis', you might want to explain why global temperatures have been paralysed at the same levels for fifteen years.

How about some honesty Jon J? Last year was the hottest ever in the continental US. We broke all kinds of records in Australia during the heatwave which the Climate Commission said was 'exacerbated' by climate change. So stop fighting it and accept it.
A great article thanks Peter. Perhaps the Church can take a lead in helping people come to grips with this impending catastrophe that will be a tragedy for most.

Dear Life/God/Mother Earth.
It's not fair.
I don't like it.
Why does the world have to operate this way?

Because with business as usual into the future we will not survive.
The same old raft of deniers has popped up and are giving us their thoughts on why climate change is not really happening and even if it was, it is not caused by humans.
All good stuff to divert attention away from what is really going to happen.
OK here is the future of Homo Saps.
Peak oil will gradually tighten the screws on the economy.
We are getting a lot of propaganda from big oil about how shale oil and gas is going to save the world and especially America.
This is nonsense of course and already the output is falling because of the high depletion rate and the cost of constantly drilling new wells.
This will inevitably bring on the really big financial crisis and with it start serious rioting from the poorer countries as food shortages get worse.
This will spread to the first world countries as they too feel the pinch.
The rate that global warming is increasing will accelerate.
This will cause even more severe food shortages and of course for countries that depend on oil and gas for heating during their very cold winters will bring more hardship.
By then the health systems will not be able to cope with the increase in health problems due to these events and the death rate will increase.
Eventually the population will start to reduce as it has before under similar circumstances.
Ask the Mayans who did not get their calander right but still disappeared.

Continued
The climate will make a large part of the area on either side of the equator uninhabitable. The population from there will try to migrate to the north and south and will be fiercely resisted by the people there.
If there are still areas where survival is possible, a small population of humans and other life will survive but this is not a given.
I can hear the howls of denialists now, shrieking ” doomsayer”, as they trot out all the usual tortured theories about how it is not happening.
So be it.
Carry on with BAU, continue blocking efforts to really make a difference. You might make a few extra dollars for your electronic bank account, you might be able to build an even bigger Macmansion, you might be able to increase your fleet of fabulous expensive cars, you will even be able to continue to take very expensive holidays in exotic parts for a while longer.
I will not be around to see this but your grandchildren and great grandchildren will curse you for what you have done to them.
I have no grandchildren to be concerned about.
How lucky am I?

Robert,

thanks for reminding us to the real problem which is peak oil and peak coal. We can use those only for a very short period in history after which we will go back to how we lived before. Neither renewables nor nuclear will work without fossil fuels.

That short fossil fuel period in history seems to be half over now and we are going downhill.

What to do? The best bet is probably nothing because nothing can be done. Ingenuity cannot replace fossil fuels. Also it is impossible to save energy.

Cheers
Günter