ABOUT three years ago a massive hurricane slammed into New Orleans, killing more than 1500 people and causing billions of dollars of damage to infrastructure and business in the region.Now another killer storm, Hurricane Gustav, is bearing down on the Big Easy and this time it seems the people of New Orleans are heeding the lessons of the past, with many evacuating to safety ahead of the approaching storm.In the wake of Hurricane Katrina, many experts predicted the phenomenal weather event was a sign of things to come, a symptom of global warming and climate change that would only become more common.That damning prophecy may be about to be fulfilled. Mother Nature, it seems, cannot wait for mankind to act and so this latest giant super storm has its sights set on the American mainland, just like Katrina three years ago.It isn't much different to what is happening much closer to home; it's just a lot more dramatic. Climate change is also causing massive damage to our infrastructure and economy through the strangle-like effects of the drought. Salinity has rendered vast tracts of once productive farmland useless, and as a consequence, many rural communities are struggling like never before.Australians have stated their willingness to pay up so as to be part of a climate change movement that introduces local solutions to a well known and largely accepted global problem.They just want their government to lead them through the quagmire and towards these sustainable solutions, whatever they may be.What do you think?Write a letter to the editor, or e-mail editor@bendigoadvertiser.com.au