The climate wars in Australia often appear to be a conflict without end. But this week a former senior Liberal Party politician warned those who stood in the way of action to combat global warming faced political oblivion.

Matt Kean, who served as the Liberal Treasurer in New South Wales, was delivering the annual Talbott oration at the Australian Museum in Sydney. He's now the chair of the Climate Change Authority. 

He joins Nick Bryant to talk about the realities of a warming planet, the trouble with playing politics and denying the science of climate change, and the policies needed to cut emissions.