The models were not wrong, exactly. The science was sound. But the models were answering questions that nobody in that room had asked. We had travelled eleven hours to show people a mirror, and the mirror was reflecting something they did not recognise as themselves. It was reflecting us, the experts, not them, the locals.

Physical infrastructure needs to be built and the capacity and efficiency of the workforce should be enhanced to implement the Delta Plan the government has taken for economic growth and climate resilience, analysts said today.