Floods and devastating storms gave way to heatwaves in a year that broke all previous temperature records, according to international climate agency Copernicus.

Hot days and hot nights dominated much of the country this year in Australia, despite some severe cold snaps during the winter. This resulted in Australia coming away with its second hottest year on record, overall, since 1910, when reliable national data became available.

A staggering 78.9 per cent of the world’s coral reef areas — from the Atlantic to the Pacific to the Indian oceans — have so far been subjected to bleaching-level heat stress.

It included the seventh mass bleaching of the Great Barrier Reef since 1998, and fifth in eight years.

Contemplating an up coming Federal election, I wonder what goes through voters minds when they see all of this ?