After fires and floods, climate-conscious independents could determine Australian election

Local residents Fiona and Ian Stuart stand near blackened trees on their property, burnt during the bushfires of the "Black Summer," in Yatte Yattah, Australia, April 11, 2022. Picture taken April 11, 2022. REUTERS/Jill Gralow

SYDNEY (Reuters) - After some of the worst fires and floods ever to hit Australia, a new cohort of climate-conscious independents are threatening to shake up the federal election on Saturday, putting the government under pressure in key districts and potentially reshaping the country's political landscape.

Enraged by the lack of government action on climate change, the candidates are campaigning hard on environmental issues in the hope of wooing moderate voters away from the major parties.