This week the Australian government released two major climate-related pieces of work: first, a report outlining the climate impacts that Australia will face; and a few days later, its action plan and a target to reduce emissions by 2035.
Reading through the long-awaited National Climate Risk Assessment this week, which maps out how various degrees of global heating could affect our economy, communities, agriculture, health, infrastructure, and ecosystems, I couldn’t help but picture how one specific Australian will live through what’s to come: my four-year-old son.
The Climate Risk Assessment report outlines current climate risks facing Australians, and what could happen at 1.5, 2, and 3°C of warming in 2050 and 2090.
By 2050, when worsening disasters are set to place more people at risk, extreme heat is projected to rise, and our health systems will struggle to cope, my son will be turning 30. Those years of early adulthood—when life should be about discovery and chasing dreams—could instead be clouded by anxiety, scarcity, and instability.
By 2090, when overlapping natural disasters could overwhelm emergency services, my son will be nearing 70. Will he live out old age in peace and calm, or in fear and danger?
Across 284 harrowing pages, the report is an incredibly tough pill to swallow, especially as a parent.
But amidst the anxiety, the kernel of hope is the fact that there is a massive difference between an Australia where we successfully limit warming to 1.5, and one where we allow it to climb to 3°C.
The very worst impacts are still avoidable. Limiting warming to 1.5°C would mean fewer deadly heat days, fewer marine heatwaves, and perhaps a fighting chance for coral ecosystems like the Great Barrier Reef. It would mean a future we can still adapt to.
Days later, however, the Albanese government released a target to reduce emissions 62-70% by 2035 that is nowhere near enough to keep our kids safe. It did not heed the science that says net zero by 2035 is what aligns with 1.5°C, and that anything less than 75% is consistent with well above 2°C of warming—a hotter, harsher future.
I’m furious at this betrayal of future generations, but more fired up than ever to make sure that we leave this target and Federal inaction on climate in the dust. There are hundreds of subnational governments, business, and institutions that are still aligned with the Paris agreement, and we can work with them to drive down fossil fuel use and emissions as fast as possible.
The government’s target is not the ceiling for our ambition—it is just the floor on which we come together and build climate solutions at the scale and speed needed to cap warming at 1.5°C—which remains an absolutely non-negotiable goal.
A key source of hope is my local Inner West Parents for Climate group, which meets monthly to strategise tangible climate solutions we can push for in our community—with the added benefit of connecting with other parents who share my concern about the climate crisis, and motivation to act.
Every tonne of avoided emissions matters. Every degree of avoided warming matters. That’s why, for my son and for every child, I refuse to give in to despair and am instead channelling my worry into action. From lobbying MPs to volunteering to donating, there are countless ways we can come together and continue to build a peaceful, thriving future for our kids.
I may not be around to look after my son in those decades to come. But while I am here, I will do everything I can to protect his future—and that of all children.
Vaidehi Shah is a climate communicator based in Sydney. She is the former assistant editor of Eco-Business
