The impacts of climate change are not evenly distributed. Among geographical, socioeconomic and developmental inequalities, intergenerational inequity is one of the most significant. The Climate Change Amendment (Duty of Care and Intergenerational Climate Equity) Bill 2023 seeks to amend the Climate Change Act 2022.
It obligates the Minister for Environment to consider the well-being of current and future children when considering approvals for fossil fuel projects. ATSE supports the central philosophy of the Bill in that it asks parliamentarians to consider today’s children and future generations as stakeholders in the environment.
ATSE advocates for the Government and industry to work together to reach a more ambitious carbon emissions reduction target in line with limiting global warming to 1.5 degrees . In a recent position statement, ATSE called for the target of net zero emissions by 2035.
ATSE offers the following recommendations for the Committee’s consideration:
Recommendation 1: Implement United Nations guidance on upholding children’s rights through climate change reduction actions, including universal, quality and relevant education.
Recommendation 2: Strengthen the amendment to include projects in other sectors (as well as coal, oil and gas projects) in the carbon dioxide threshold for ‘significant decisions’.
Recommendation 3: Amend the Climate Change Act 2022 to require decision-makers to consider the longterm impacts of new fossil fuel projects relative to the expected project lifetime.
Recommendation 4: Encourage sustainable decision-making on emission-producing projects by making justifications, progress and outcomes for high-emission projects publicly available within a reasonable timeframe.
Recommendation 5: Use probabilistic decision-making for planning to mitigate the impacts of climate change and help protect current and future generations from climate change consequences.
Recommendation 6: Invest in skills and infrastructure to support a low-emission economy, build resilience, and support net zero emissions by 2035.