Saying one thing and doing the opposite is clearly not a smart political strategy but it seems to be becoming the prime minister’s modus operandi, especially on climate change policy.

As Malcolm Turnbull demonstrated in Paris this week, the climate dinosaurs of the coalition parties still pull the strings on what he can actually do to tackle global warming. On the other hand, what he says about climate change does appear to be crafted with the intensifying public momentum for climate action in mind.

The government’s many climate deniers are determined to stick with Tony Abbott’s weak climate policies. The Nationals handcuffed Malcolm Turnbull to those dangerous policies in their coalition agreement which locks him in for the life of his prime ministership.

You only need to look at the conservative revolt led by Ian Macfarlane, Barnaby Joyce and George Christensen on Monday that prevented Australia from signing a New-Zealand-led agreement of 40 countries to phase out fossil fuels subsidies. Australia was left looking isolated as an obvious wrecker, content to keep propping up coal at the expense of taxpayers and the clean energy industry.

The anti-science, coal-obsessed ranks of the backbench are completely out of touch with the vast majority of Australians. More than 170,000 people marched across the country on the weekend and about two-thirds of Australians want the government to commit to significant climate pollution cuts. Stuck between the two opposing forces, Malcolm Turnbull appears to have let the dinosaurs control his actions while trying to sound like he speaks for all Australians. Surely though, he realises this isn’t going to work – Australians aren’t stupid and don’t like to be treated as though they are.

The prime minister’s speech in Paris was a stunning example of fine but empty rhetoric. He made what sounded like three announcements but at the end we were left with the status quo.

Firstly, the prime minister announced Australia would ratify the second commitment period of the Kyoto Protocol. This was basically confirmation that Australia will meet its measly 5% target in climate pollution reduction to 2020.

When the target is that pathetically low, meeting it is nothing to crow about. This is especially galling because this success is partly due to the carbon price that Tony Abbott abolished and the renewable energy target which he cut, supported by Malcolm Turnbull.

Secondly, Malcolm Turnbull announced Australia would double investment in clean energy innovation over the next five years, joining the Barack Obama and Bill Gates-led plan, Mission Innovation. While this sounds very exciting, it’s completely at odds with the Turnbull government’s plan, reiterated only this week, to abolish the two government bodies driving clean energy investment and innovation.

The Australian Renewable Energy Agency (Arena) and the Clean Energy Finance Corporation (CEFC) are both incredible success stories in clean energy innovation. Together they will invest $23bn of public investment in renewable energy and leverage much more private investment over the next 10 years. The CEFC actually makes money for taxpayers through clean energy investment. If it wasn’t for the Senate blocking the government’s plan to scrap both the CEFC and Arena, their amazing work in powering a national clean energy revolution would be lost.

Thirdly, the prime minister announced Australia would contribute some more money from our existing aid budget to help developing countries deal with global warming. Our aid budget is already at a historic low because of the current government’s savage cuts. The slight increase in the proportion of aid funding to be directed to climate finance pales in comparison to the generous announcements of Canada, the UK and Germany.

What’s more, the Turnbull government’s measly contribution fails to live up to our responsibility as the wealthiest country in the Pacific, a region already suffering some of the worst impacts of global warming.

Australia has the potential to be a regional leader in clean energy and climate change adaptation. Not only is it the right thing to do by our regional neighbours and our environment but it will bring our economy into the 21st century. While new coal mines are increasingly set to become stranded assets, clean energy technology is powering ahead offering the jobs of the future. The prime minister needs to stop letting his climate-denying masters get in the way.