In the US, the country is rapidly heading towards 500,000 deaths. In the UK, the country's Chief Scientific Officer has warned that some hospitals resemble "war zones" - and they are converting London buses into ambulance services.

But here in Australia, infection rates remain resolutely low, some jobs lost during the early stages of the pandemic are coming back, corporate Australia is optimistic about better-than-expected earnings, and Australians' trust in government has risen.

The dramatically different experiences between Australia and the UK and US aren't simply the result of luck, or fluke.

While the country's response hasn't been faultless, Australia has been largely successful at tackling COVID-19 because at all points, at all levels of government, policymakers have heeded scientific evidence, communicated it to the public, and used that evidence to inform policies that protect lives and livelihoods.

The lesson from Australia's experience of tackling the coronavirus is to rely on scientific evidence and use it to guide policy.

This is a lesson we need to apply to the increasingly urgent challenge of climate change.

The terrifying bushfire season so many of us lived through this time last year was a sign of things to come.

It was a sharp reminder that if we don't transition to a net-zero emissions economy, we'll see further lives lost, lasting damage to our unique flora and fauna, and more local communities devastated by fire and drought.

The most recent State of the Climate report from CSIRO and the Bureau of Meteorology paints a grim picture for Australia's climate.

Hopes of limiting climate change to one degree have faded.

With it, the report warns of changing rainfall patterns that will have a dramatic effect on our agricultural industry - an industry that is crucial to our future, but one already suffering the ravages of drought.

But while the picture the report paints is gloomy, there is a pathway for Australia to both tackle climate change and transition the economy to ensure continued prosperity.

That pathway is an orderly transition to a net-zero economy.

An orderly transition is one that will save lives and livelihoods.

It's one that takes Australia's world-leading science and uses it to secure water for our communities, generates green energy for domestic consumption and export, and ensures our farms remain sustainable and profitable for generations to come.

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And businesses, scientists, and investors, are increasingly united in calling for stronger climate action and further proactive management of climate risk.

Importantly, this action does not need to come at a cost to the community.

Recent research from Deloitte highlighted stronger action on climate change could add $680 billion to the Australian economy and create 250,000 new jobs by 2070.

Nor does the move to net-zero emissions have to result in net job losses nor spell an end to Australia's mining or resources sector.

While there will certainly be changes to fossil fuel industries, a transition that safeguards jobs and looks after communities and individuals in affected regions is not just possible - it's achievable.

To make it happen, Australia needs a long-term, national approach to climate change adaptation - one that brings together federal, state, and territory governments with industry, employer groups and the scientific community.

A national adaptation plan will encourage industry investment in emissions reductions technologies, create greater certainty for investors anxious about putting their funds into assets that may become stranded, head off the risk of tariffs being imposed on our exports due to emissions, and cut compliance costs for businesses facing differing legislative requirements across the country.

For a country as rich in renewables as Australia, climate change can be an opportunity to create new markets, jobs and income from developing new technologies.

If we are smart about seizing those opportunities, Australia can become a clean energy export superpower.

Climate change is a major challenge, but as the pandemic has demonstrated, if we have science at the heart of our response, Australia is more than able to meet this challenge.