Before the election, several American friends told me that if Trump won, they would like to join me in Australia. But the worst impact of Trump's victory will occur if he acts on his pledge to take the US out of international agreements on climate change. If the US, the world's second largest emitter of greenhouse gases, pulls out, it is unlikely that countries with much lower per capita emissions - like China, the world's largest emitter - will cut their emissions. So there will be no escape from even more severe heatwaves, droughts and floods, and Australia, the world's driest continent, is more vulnerable than most other places.