I want to tell you about a moment that really matters.
In two weeks, US President Joe Biden will host the Leaders Summit on Climate.
The goal? 40 of the world's most polluting countries step up their climate ambition – including Australia. So we need to make sure the Morrison Government, the people representing us, lifts their climate game.
This is a critical moment for all of us across the country to make sure members of our government step up at the Biden Summit.
Ask the Morrison Government to step up at the Biden Summit. If your local MP is a Liberal or National Party member, send them an email. If not, email your state's Liberal and National Party Senators.
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The world's eyes are on us. People across the globe are waiting to see how we will rise to the occasion on the international stage, particularly given the climate damage our communities are already experiencing.
We know climate change will increase the rate of flooding, bushfires, heatwaves and damaging storms. And it is unfair that the federal government's climate inaction continues heaping pressure on people in their homes and communities.
So let's carve out a new pathway – from denial and delay, to courage and action.
Email your Coalition MP and ask them to raise Australia's ambition at the Biden Summit. Or if your local MP is not a member of the Coalition, email your state's Liberal and National Party Senators.
There are a few big reasons this moment matters, which is why we must seize it:
- This year is shaping up to be huge for climate action: late last year our biggest trading partners – China, Japan, South Korea and the EU – all strengthened their emission reduction targets. Now the US plans to announce an ambitious 2030 emissions target at the Leaders Summit on Climate, and encourage other countries to follow suit. As the world lifts its game, Australia is being left behind.
- The Summit will build momentum before the United Nations Climate Change Conference (COP26): this November world leaders will meet in Glasgow, pinging new targets and policies for reducing emissions, to replace those set at Paris back in 2016. Strong climate commitments at the Biden Summit pave the way for stronger global commitments at Glasgow.
- This is a crucial opportunity to support our Pacific Island neighbours: our friends in the Pacific are, like us in Australia, already experiencing the impacts of climate change. They will be using this moment to pressure all governments, including ours, to raise their climate ambition. This is our chance to back our Pacific neighbours in.
We need the Morrison Government to take strong, positive climate action – now! Our governments should protect people, communities, rivers, forests and wildlife, like those currently experiencing the impacts of flooding, from increasingly extreme weather.
I have much hope for the opportunity we face. But hope requires action. So let’s act.
Header image: Wollemi Pine by Martin Fowler
