A recent conference highlighted the importance of civic engagement and community mobilisation to ensure climate imperatives are uppermost in voters’ minds at the upcoming federal election.
Australian National University researchers Chelsea Hunnisett and Roxana Claudia Tompea bring some key takeaways from the Climate Integrity Summit.
Chelsea Hunnisett and Roxana Claudia Tompea write:
The Australia Institute hosted its annual Climate Integrity Summit last week, bringing together about 300 experts, ambassadors, community leaders, academics and activists to explore ways to redefine global security and to challenge political elites to uphold Australia’s climate integrity at home and abroad.
The Summit underscored the power of people, the need to stay engaged, and the importance of demanding better from our political leaders.
Richard Denniss, Executive Director of the Australia Institute, spoke about the dangers of apathy in the lead up to the election: “If you don’t believe you can make change, you might not try very hard. That’s part of the plan.”
The statement holds even more weight, considering the immediate impacts of the cost-of-living crisis, as many voters struggle to meet their basic needs.
Meanwhile, the existential threat of climate change cannot be ignored, especially for those who’ve witnessed its impacts firsthand. Despite the evidence about the urgency of action, there is no bipartisan consensus in Canberra about how Australia should best mitigate and adapt to climate change.
The Coalition’s proposal for nuclear power in the energy transition has raised serious concerns about their intention to address the climate crisis, with estimates suggesting that nuclear power plants would use 1.4 times as much water as coal-fired power stations, would require water supply equivalent to the Sydney Harbour, and cost exorbitant amounts of taxpayer money.
Meanwhile, the incumbent Albanese Government continues to expand fossil fuel projects and spend billions of taxpayer money subsidising the fossil fuel industry, all the while claiming that Australia can be a green energy superpower.
This contradiction between necessary climate action and current proposals highlights the lack of integrity in climate policy, disregarding both the moral imperative and the economic reality of global warming.
Civic engagement matters
The Climate Integrity Summit exposed profound problems with the Government’s approach, particularly in giving industry free rein to greenwash, as it continues subsiding climate-exacerbating industries.
Government-backed carbon offset schemes allow the fossil fuel industry to claim “carbon neutrality” through the Climate Active programme, while emissions from new coal and gas mines continue to rise. The handling of carbon offsets, once a peripheral issue, is now at the centre of many climate and election debates.
In a time of increasing challenges – both local and global – many voters feel overwhelmed by corporate influence and media-driven division.
However, as the Summit made clear, the tools for change remain in the hands of the public. Efforts to convince people they lack power serve a strategic purpose, but civic engagement remains a key driver of transformation.
“Every person in this room holds power – the only difference is whether you use it to uphold the status quo or to change it,” said Polly Hemming, Director of the Australia Institute’s Climate and Energy Programme.
“History will remember those who chose to act and those who chose to look away.”
Another key takeaway from the summit was the importance of networks, collaboration, and evidence-based advocacy.
Community leader Antonia Burke highlighted how First Nations peoples are reshaping the battle against fossil fuel expansion in the Tiwi Islands and beyond.
Their efforts have secured significant victories to protect cultural heritage and global environmental futures from a government committed to fossil fuel expansion.
Savenaca Narube, Former Governor of the Reserve Bank of Fiji and leader of the Unity Fiji Party, stressed the importance of unity within the Pacific region.
He pointed to the stark contrast in Australia’s spending priorities: while allocating around $2 billion to the Pacific, Australia is investing $2.6 billion more into nuclear-powered submarines with the UK.
He warned that climate change is testing the alignment of words and actions, calling for greater coherence in regional security and prosperity.
Wellbeing of current and future generations
There is little doubt that climate change poses the single biggest existential crisis for humankind since the development of the nuclear bomb. The policy decisions we make today – and allow our political leaders to make in our name – will have significant and lasting impacts on generations of Australians.
“It is the poor, disadvantaged, and working-class Australians, and the future generations, who will feel the brunt of the pursuit of cheap energy,” said Doug Cameron, former Senator from NSW.
But there is hope.
Last week, Dr Sophie Scamps introduced the Wellbeing of Future Generations Bill, proposing that policy must consider the wellbeing of current and future generations, including in relation to climate policy. If passed, the Bill could reshape how federal governments approach climate policy.
A similar effort was undertaken last year through the Duty of Care Bill, which sought to ensure that Commonwealth Government decisions on climate change take into account the health and wellbeing of future generations.
In a time where conflicts of interest are rife, a Duty of Care Bill would ensure decisions are made with integrity, grounded in moral courage and result in practical policies to protect future generations.
During the Summit, Senator David Pocock, the champion of the Duty of Care Bill, said: “At some point, we will get to a stage where we will have to have a Duty of Care to young people, not just in words, but in actually setting up the way in which we make decisions in this country.”
Can democracy save us?
The upcoming federal election will be a defining moment for Australia’s place in the 21st century. Who we choose to lead us will determine the quality of life for generations to come.
Will our leaders act with integrity on climate change? Will we, as voters, demand better or settle for empty promises?
Now is the time to move from realpolitik to collective mobilisation – one that prioritises the wellbeing of the many over the narrow interests of the few, as no one is safe until everyone, truly, is.
Democracy can save us – but only if we demand leaders who reflect our needs. That choice is ours.
Author details
Chelsea Hunnisett is a Laureate PhD Candidate and Government Relations Specialist in the Planetary Health Equity Hothouse at the Australian National University. Chelsea’s research focuses on planetary health equity and Australia’s approach to the wellbeing economy. Chelsea is an experienced policy, advocacy and government relations specialist with expertise in planetary health, commercial determinants of health and preventive health policy.
Roxana Claudia Tompea is an ARC Laureate PhD scholar within the Planetary Health Equity Hothouse at the Australian National University. With experience in environmental communication and knowledge management, her research centres around regulatory frameworks addressing environmental deception in the food sector, particularly in relation to the commercial determinants of health in ultra-processed foods.
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