Australia wasted decades in climate denial – and must break free of the mire of misinformation | Lenore Taylor

Guardian Australia editor says we can be a superpower of the post-carbon world economy if we set aside the self-defeating culture war

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Australia's climate "debate" has been bogged in a culture war for decades. What should be a straightforward discussion of scientific fact and possible responses has instead become a mire of misinformation and denial that has paralysed policy, clogged investment, increased power prices and delayed change.

National greenhouse gas emissions have risen every year since soon after the abolition of the carbon price in 2014, yet the prime minister stands on the international stage and insists Australia is "doing our bit on climate change and we reject any suggestion to the contrary".