There are a few barely questioned principles that most citizens assume in a representative democracy such as ours. One is that, whichever party you voted for, you accept the result of an election and give thanks for a peaceful transfer of political power.

You may disagree with particular policies, get involved if you feel strongly about an issue, or rarely give politics a moment's thought, but you let a government that has been elected on a particular platform get on with it. After all, we all get to give our verdict in three years' time.

Greenland's Birthday Canyon, carved by meltwater, is 50 metres deep. Credit:AP

But what if there was an issue where you couldn't accept the elected government's position, believing it so wrong, dangerous, and damaging to the country's economic and social future that to treat it as just part of the argy-bargy of politics would make you complicit in that wrong?

Climate change is that issue. The evidence is that we are seeing its impact on our environment and our lives now. In our patch of the world, we're into the second heatwave of the year in parts of southern Australia, following a year that was the hottest on record, and a decade between 2001-10 that was the warmest on record.