Australians have heard so many messages about so many climate change policies over so many years that they may shrug off the latest talk from Scott Morrison about his solution to the problem.

The Prime Minister spoke on Sunday about doing "better and better and better" at reducing greenhouse gas emissions and to "evolve our policy" over time, while also promising to adapt more to a changing climate.

But he did not outline any substantive change in policy and his office made it clear that he was not signalling a more ambitious target for 2030, the deadline for the government's 26 per cent cut to emissions.

It is easy to dismiss this as meaningless but it is also worth remembering that Morrison can be as cagey with his language as John Howard. A small shift in his words can prepare for bigger changes to come.