After an unprecedented bush-fire crisis, Australia has become the global face of climate change. But it has also become infamous for a government stubbornly resisting calls to adopt stronger climate policies.

The crisis affected three-quarters of the population and has also led to a shift in public opinion and debate on what more Australia, a major coal user and exporter, can do to cut its planet-warming carbon emissions, among the highest per capita in the world. Related to this is the burning question: Is the Australian economy so dependent on coal that it cannot wean itself off it?