The sudden flash was so bright and the bang so loud that Jan and I and the two little dogs all levitated six inches off the bed a bit after midnight on Monday. A storm that Singaporeans would regard as quite normal. But not here in Bowral.

7am Tuesday morning, no email. Hmmm …

The lightning strike turned out to be a direct hit on the Highlands Property office 300 metres away (the source of my email). It destroyed the electronics of the air conditioning, the phone system and half the computer network. Being the handy IT guy, it fell to me to figure out what was going on and call in the various “techo’s” to help. They all turned up and did their thing the same day (even Telstra). By the end of the day the computer network was essentially restored, and the phones and air conditioning that need major replacements will be right by Friday morning.

A frustrating, time consuming, costly and disruptive disaster? Looking at it one way, sure.

But wait … I’m alright …

… the news on Tuesday evening was headed by real natural disaster in the Philippines.

Here are tens of thousands of people, hit by a natural disaster like I was, that had absolutely nothing left. Gone were relatives, friends, neighbours, infrastructure and buildings of all kinds along with everything in them. No food, no water, no power … nothing!

Unlike me, help couldn’t get to them the same day and have everything right again in a few days. And unlike me, insurance wouldn’t soften their loss.

But here is the real story.

Almost every country in the world is represented at a key climate change conference this week in Warsaw. The Philippines delegate delivered an impassioned (and in the end tearful) speech. He linked this recent typhoon weather event to climate change. When he pleaded for co-ordinated world action on climate change, most of the delegates stood and applauded him.

I wonder if the Australian delegation was on their feet? I wonder what message they will bring back to Abbott and Hunt and the others?

I wonder if this might be the crisis moment the world always seems to need to change it’s political course on just about any big policy thinking? This time, on carbon emissions policy. Could Warsaw go down in history as a tipping point?

Just things to watch. Things to ponder.

And here’s one thing I have pondered already. As you can see here, the Lowy research shows Australian attitudes on climate change changed very significantly after 2007. I suspect self-interested concern about the impact of the financial crisis was a key driver of this shift from 2008.

Now attitudes are changing again and my guess is this. There will be enough typhoons, hurricanes, cyclones, floods, droughts and wild fires to keep driving this concern up over the next few years. By the time The Government takes us to the polls again in 2016 the curve will be well above 50% and heading for the highs of 2006/7. Climate change, and it’s attendant policy issues will be front and centre in the next election.

If I’m right about that shift in attitudes, look for one of the biggest and most fundamental political back-flips of all time from Abbott to keep himself in government. Will he find a way to be convincing?