GRIEVANCE DEBATE
Mr ZAPPIA (Makin) (12:59): We live in the most uncertain times that I can recall in my lifetime, from the life-changing impacts of a three-year global COVID pandemic to the war in Ukraine, the rise of China's global influence, the recent military attack on Iran and, now, the fear of AI. People are understandably fearful of what the future holds. Simultaneously, essential, basic needs like housing are out of reach for many new, aspiring homeowners and the national health system struggles with daily demands.
Not surprisingly for most people in both Australia and throughout the world, daily survival has become a priority. A regrettable fallout of the current pressures is that the critical issue of climate change and global warming are being sidelined. Recent polling confirms that climate change is dropping down the list of voters' most important issues, with only five per cent nominating it as their most important issue compared to nearly 30 per cent in 2022.
Even worse, in many parts of the world, climate change initiatives are being scaled back or put on ice, in turn adding to the pace and threats of climate change. Within the broader community, discourse about global warming and climate change has stalled. Yet scientists tell us that the risks have in no way diminished and the consequences can be devastating and irreversible.
A recent UK national assessment highlighted the alarming level of biodiversity loss and ecosystem collapse and the dire consequences for humanity that flow from that. The fact remains that the Earth is getting hotter, and the dominant cause is the burning of fossil fuels. Whilst Australians generally welcome renewable energy initiatives, we simultaneously continue to export record amounts of coal and gas, with Australia now being the third-largest fossil-fuel exporter.
However, renewable energy technology, whilst welcome and effective, is hardly meeting growing energy demand when, in reality, total carbon emissions should be trending downwards if threats of climate change are to be reversed. Annual global temperatures over the next five years are predicted to be between 1.3 degrees centigrade and 1.9 degrees centigrade above preindustrial levels according to the World Meteorological Organisation.
The consequences include melting ice sheets, coral bleaching, rising sea levels, water scarcity, disappearing flora and fauna, more extreme weather events that occur more frequently, a substantial increase in human heat stress and many, many others. The devastating fires in recent times, which saw 150 million hectares burned globally in the first four months of 2026 alone, with more since across Europe and North America, and the terrifying and destructive water and landslide in Nepal are confronting realities of climate change, whilst the human and financial costs of those events add to global financial pressures and stresses.
It is also predicted that, in the years ahead, hundreds of millions of people will become climate change refugees, adding to the global refugee problem that we currently face. Australia's near neighbours in the Pacific will be some of the first and worst affected, and their problems will become Australia's problems. In the meantime, here in Australia, the Liberals', the Nationals' and One Nation's members openly backtrack from efforts to reduce carbon emissions, invest in renewable energy or accept the work of our global climate scientists.
They are doing their best to prolong fossil-fuel use and constantly talk down the transition to electric vehicles, the Albanese government's investment in batteries and Australia's participation in the COP31 climate change conference. Climate change is real and, whilst climate change deniers, backed by the fossil fuel companies, run their dishonest, self-serving campaigns, the hard decisions are being left to future generations.
Not surprisingly, the younger generations have now become the most active advocates for climate change action. They are the ones who will inherit the failures of today's generations. Survey after survey confirms that younger people are not dismissive of climate change consequences and feel betrayed by the lack of global climate change actions.
It is understandable that dealing with the immediate cost-of-living pressures would be a priority for governments; however, there is no reason why climate change responses should be put on hold, as they have been in so many places. Good government means dealing with both. Doing so need not be contradictory.
The Iran war and its subsequent ongoing disruption to global oil supplies highlights Australia's enormous reliance and vulnerability when it comes to diesel, petrol and jet fuel. Transitioning to electric vehicles can save Australians on ever-increasing fuel costs while simultaneously reducing carbon emissions. Large-scale production of sustainable aviation fuels in Australia could reduce greenhouse gas emissions from our aviation sector, create jobs and increase our resilience to supply shocks from events overseas.
There are opportunities for farmers to electrify farm equipment—such as irrigation pumps, which often account for a substantial amount of on-farm diesel use—which could then be run on solar and batteries. I'm pleased to say that we're actually seeing some of that transition, with the sale of electric vehicles now growing at a much faster pace than had been predicted only a couple of years ago.
That is good because, again, it not only diminishes the amount of carbon that is produced and released into the air but accelerates the transition that we need to go through if we are to reverse the effects of climate change. For all the criticism that I often hear about what countries are doing about climate change, the one country that is actually still sticking to its plan and agenda and probably doing more than any other country when it comes to climate change adaptation is in fact China, a country that is quite often in the firing line of the critics.
Climate change is real, and the effects are already with us. The consequences are real and they are devastating. Governments know that.
But, in many cases, they are too timid to act. Our younger generations know that climate change is real, and they have every right not only to be concerned but to expect stronger action across the world. They don't want just words and reports and they don't want just one conference.
They want meaningful action and long-term climate change adaptation policies, something we have been talking about ever since I came to this place in 2007. But I haven't seen enough real work being done. I stand with those young people in calling for stronger action globally on climate change and global warming.
The longer we delay our response, the more destruction will occur and the more drastic and costly the response in the future will be. It is a great injustice to future generations to burden them with that responsibility.