Community Sector Climate Change Declaration

ACTCOSS sees climate change as a social justice issue. We urgently need climate action that is aimed at reducing poverty and inequality within the Canberra community, nationally and globally. This needs to include a just transition to net zero emissions that leaves no one behind.

Everyone in NSW is feeling the effects of either drought or bushfires that have been made worse because of the climate crisis. Hundreds of people have lost homes and possessions and the majority will struggle to recover financially and emotionally. We need urgent collective action as the climate crisis makes more people vulnerable to hardship.

Climate change will disproportionately impact Tasmanians on low incomes and living in vulnerable circumstances. As the peak body for community services in Tasmania, we support more urgent and stronger action and fair and inclusive policies that reduce Australia’s emissions.

SACOSS is in no doubt that people who are vulnerable and disadvantaged will wear the heaviest of costs as the climate changes and as weather conditions become more extreme. It is vital we do everything we can as a community to dial back the rate of climate change and ensure the services designed to support vulnerable members of the community are positioned to help the people they assist to respond as positively as is possible.

The impact of climate change will directly undermine QCOSS’ vision to achieve equality, opportunity and wellbeing for every person, in every community. Those people who are most vulnerable, who our sector exists to support, face the greatest impacts. Our best option is to prevent these harms from arising. There is an urgent need to rapidly, fairly and inclusively transition to net zero emissions to keep us within the least dangerous levels of warming and leave no one behind.

  Climate change affects everyone in the NT, and people who are already experiencing disadvantage are suffering the most. People and communities with fewer resources have less capacity, choice and power to adapt to the changing climate and recover from extreme weather events. Transition to a low carbon future provides solutions and opportunities for everyone, and can address inequality and poverty in the NT. A well-managed transition to a clean economy is an opportunity to create a more just, equitable and sustainable NT.

Globally, disasters and climate change are forcing millions to relocate and now displacing more people within their own countries than conflict. At SSI, we care about the effects of displacement induced by climate change and recognise we have a collective responsibility to alleviate the burdens on the world’s most vulnerable communities.

The impacts of climate change amplify the health and wellbeing issues facing Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people and communities. This government must take decisive steps to reduce emissions and support technologies that protect our lands, waters, and cultural heritage for future generations.

Children are the least responsible for the climate crisis, yet they will bear the greatest burden of its impact. There is no greater threat to their rights; their health, education and survival, than climate change.  Save the Children Australia is determined to ensure children’s voices are heard in their pursuit of climate justice.

ACWA voices the concern of thousands of community workers across Australia for those vulnerable individuals and communities whose health, wellbeing and livelihoods will be the most, and soonest affected by climate change. We must work towards net zero emissions as quickly and equitably as possibly, leaving no one behind.

The impacts of climate change are already here; they’re just not evenly distributed. Ecological sustainability is a race we are all running, and everyone needs to cross the finish line, not just those who are privileged. At the RESEED Centre we want to ensure that everyone knows what to do as the sustainability crisis continues to unfold.

Climate change matters particularly because of the stress it places on people from increased bushfires, increased flooding, increased storms, biodiversity loss etc.

The Salvation Army acknowledges that climate change does not discriminate but people already experiencing disadvantage will feel its impacts more. As a nation, we must work together to lessen this impact and to ensure a just transition in which no one is left behind.

Climate change matters to CISVic because people left vulnerable by inequitable systems will be impacted the most. The health and wellbeing of the community are linked with our environment, such as, extreme weather affects people who cannot access efficient heating and cooling.

FECCA believes that multicultural communities in Australia must be given more opportunities to have a say in the decisions and policies that affect their lives. Climate change will affect all Australians, but not always in the same way. Multicultural communities and individuals need more opportunities to discuss and share the diffferent ways that Australia’s response to climate change will shape their futures.

Many renters and low-income households lack the agency to act on climate change as they can’t undertake or afford energy efficiency, solar or climate resilient actions on their homes under current laws and regulations. This is why we advocate for an inclusive national plan for fast and fair emission reductions this decade.

The effects of climate change impact disproportionately on the most vulnerable people in our society. Extreme weather events like heatwaves, fires, floods and storms have increased in frequency and severity over recent years. This is threatening people’s homes, livelihoods, health, quality of life, employment and the environment that sustains us. Those dependent on low incomes and experiencing disadvantage are more vulnerable to these climate change impacts because they are less able to cope, adapt and recover.

Climate change matters because vulnerable clients’ risk and safety is paramount in our work. Climate change impacts influences safety planning, prevention and development and how perpetrators are held accountable for their family violence behaviours and attitudes.

Climate change is here. Children, young people, and families are already feeling the impact. From an increased risk of extreme and dangerous weather events to the strain on mental health caused by climate uncertainty, we know that the situation will only worsen if we don’t act now.

Climate change matters to National Shelter Inc. because we wish to ensure that the environment is liable and the homes we build and occupy are comfortable for those who live in them. Too many low income households live in dwellings which do not have the thermal quality to allow people to live sustainably and comfortably.

Climate change will increase housing insecurity and the risk of homelessness, especially for people on low incomes and those experiencing housing stress. Climate change is exacerbating housing affordability challenges, in particular for people on low incomes who live in poorly designed and built homes by increasing utilities required for heating and cooling homes, thereby impacting household costs and budgets. As the peak body for housing and homelessness in WA, we support strong action to address climate change and call for policies and programs that ensure a just transition to a low carbon future for all.

For over 80 years, Gowrie SA has supported children to love, nurture, take care of, and consider our impacts on the environment. We want all children to continue to access the wonderful benefits of the natural environment both now and into the future.

Climate change is a health emergency and a social justice issue. It threatens the essential ingredients of good health – clean air, safe drinking water, nutritious food supply, and safe shelter – and has the potential to undermine decades of progress in global health. The greatest impacts of climate change will be felt by the communities who already experience disadvantage as a result of inequitable systems, including those cohealth works with. Urgent action is needed to reduce the threats posed by climate change, adapt to these threats and to transition to a just, equitable and sustainable society.

It is widely anticipated that the adverse effects of climate change will have a disproportionate impact on the lives and well-being of people with disability. As the effects of climate change are seen in extended fire seasons and drought, on our food security and increasingly fragile environments and eco systems, so too are the effects being seen in our communities. The threats posed by climate change to human health – mental and physical – access to clean air, safe drinking water, nutritious food, and shelter are all exacerbated for people with disability, many of whom already experience high rates of disadvantage that contribute to poor health, such as poverty, unemployment, and poor education outcomes. AFDO believes all people with disabilities must be involved equally in all aspects of social, economic, political and cultural life. We advocate for people with disability to be consulted and included in national initiatives and policy debate, including climate change and climate action.

Climate Change matters to us for social, spiritual and economic reasons. We urge stronger targets and a tangible and achievable plan, important pillars in making a just transition. As people of faith we are concerned about the future of our planet and her people in the face of the imminent threat of climate change and its effects.

When disaster strikes, community legal centres are on the front lines in supporting communities across Australia. These disasters leave people with wreckage and a range of serious legal and other issues requiring specialised support. Community legal centres are dedicated to supporting communities, despite not having the resources needed to help everyone. Now, with COVID-19 Crisis and the increasing frequency of other disasters – bushfires, floods and storms –it is critical that Australia makes a firm commitment to keep warming at 1.5 degrees to prevent communities from experiencing further hardship caused by the human-induced Climate Crisis.

However society has viewed climate change in the past, the devastating effects of it are now being witnessed on a increasingly regular basis. The reality of what life will be like if we don’t act, is becoming more and more apparent and without critical action now it will not only be the environment that suffers – those most vulnerable in our communities will suffer. The time to take a stand for our future is now.

Volunteers are at the forefront of advocating for action on climate change and supporting communities affected by catastrophic climate events. Volunteering Australia stands alongside these volunteers and supports urgent collective action to address climate change.

Financial counsellors provide advice and support to people experiencing financial stress. We already see the impacts of climate change in financial counselling casework when people lose their homes or incomes because of climate disasters. We no longer use the term “natural disasters”, as there is nothing “natural” about events, such as bushfires, floods and heatwaves, driven by climate change, that are becoming increasingly frequent and dangerous. It is people on the lowest incomes, with the fewest resources, that will be the most hurt. And that is inherently unfair.

Climate change is happening now. The impacts are being felt everywhere but we know that those worst effected are often already experiencing disadvantage in various ways and have less capacity to manage or mitigate climate change. The community services sector is also at risk with services and support to those in need also impacted by climate change. Jesuit Social Services understands that social and ecological justice are inseparable and that acting on climate change is a justice issue that demands attention from policy makers at all levels of government. We need to act now to reduce greenhouse gas emissions across all sectors of the economy and ensure that as we adapt to climate change we build a more just, inclusive and resilient future for everyone.

Climate change is a social justice issue; it creates inequality and disproportionally impacts people experiencing disadvantage. We must avoid catastrophic climate change through emissions reduction and ensure the transition to a sustainable, resilient, zero-emission economy and society is just and fair.

Renters are disproportionately affected by climate change because they are less able to mitigate its impacts in their homes, particularly those experiencing hardship and disadvantage. Tenants Victoria has seen this first-hand in the contraction in rental properties after the 2019-20 bushfires and in renters’ limited rights to ensure their homes use clean energy. We support a transition to a carbon-neutral economy and society that supports communities, such as renters, with fewer resources to adapt.

The evidence has been in for some time that our climate is changing. At the Tenants’ Union of NSW this concerns us because we know that renters live in housing that is the least suitable for a changing climate and they’re in the weakest position to make changes. We believe all people deserve safe, stable homes to live in and this aim only becomes harder to achieve the longer we wait to start taking real climate action. There will be no homes on a dead planet.

Climate change does not discriminate but some in our society will feel its impacts more. Government responses to climate change must provide for people within our community who have the least means to build resilience and adapt.

Climate change affects all of us, and especially those experiencing homelessness and social disadvantage. At Sacred Heart Mission, we see how the most vulnerable in our community are threatened by the effects of climate disasters such as floods, heatwaves and bushfires. Committed to providing a safe, fair and inclusive community for all of us, we will continue to reduce our environmental impact and improve sustainability outcomes as a major local recycler and a partner in the food rescue industry through our Melbourne op shops and the Meals Program.

As a community which is still reeling from two significant bushfire seasons, two floods, major storms and a pandemic in the past 8 years, we know only too well that disasters affect all our community, but especially affect our most at-risk and vulnerable residents. We need governments at all levels to ‘step up’ NOW to deal with the existential threat of climate change – our local Council is on board, our State government is moving rapidly, and we – the entire population of this country (and the globe) – need the Federal government to lead the way.

Climate change is the greatest challenge that we face and as social workers, and we are united in our call for immediate action from governments in Australia, and across the world. The changes confronting our environment because of global warming are already profound and extensive, making climate policy an urgent responsibility for governments. As social workers, we work with communities who are hardest hit by climate change and we appreciate that while climate change is affecting the entire population, the social, health and economic burden is falling most heavily on already vulnerable and marginalised people. For social workers, climate change is also a social justice issue.

People who rent are more vulnerable to heatwaves. Draughty rental homes are also harder to use to keep out polluted bushfire smoke.

Many of the people in hardship in Australia that our services assist will be impacted by climate change. It also is already harming many of the communities in developing countries that we are in partnership with. God calls us to live in harmony with our natural environment and to seek justice and well-being for all creation. There is a need for immediate and substantial action by governments, businesses and communities to mitigate climate change caused by human activity.

Climate change matters to The Benevolent Society because it matters to the people and communities that we exist to support. For many reasons, and in many ways, those who are the most disadvantaged and vulnerable are on the frontline of climate change impact. Climate change matters to us intergenerationally. We’ve been around since 1813, and take the long view of human wellbeing. We would like generations of Australians to come to be able to enjoy the natural wonders of this ancient continent, and live free of fear of raging bushfires, floods and droughts. Climate change presents an existential threat to humanity. The Benevolent Society is driven by our vision for a just society where all Australians can live their best lives. We have a closing window to ensure that Australians best lives are not utterly compromised by a warming trajectory that we no longer have a chance of bending to deliver a liveable future.

Our natural world, and the beauty of our common home, should be protected for our children, grandchildren and future generations. If we act now, we can avoid the worst injustices of climate change and other ecological crises, and take hold of the opportunity to create more sustainable and equitable communities in which everyone can enjoy the quality of life many people today have been privileged to experience.

Many of the people Uniting serves, the already vulnerable, will be most affected by harmful climate change. These include the elderly, young children, people with disabilities and those living in rural areas and with fewer resources. The wellbeing of future generations, who have not contributed to the problem, is also at risk. All this is unfair. Uniting is part of the Uniting Church which believes that care for creation is an essential part of its faith and mission. We consider the world and all its life are beloved by God and so worthy of the deepest respect and care.  Uniting is acting to reduce our own emissions. We call on our federal government to join with business, industry and the community in committing to urgent and decisive cuts to emissions this decade and lead the national transition to ensure a safer climate and prosperous future for all.

Oxfam exists to help people and communities achieve self-sufficiency in the long term. The climate crisis affects all of us, but it hurts some communities more than others. We tackle injustice at its root cause and work for economic, gender, climate and First People’s justice.

Anglicare Australia Network members are daily helping people with the reality of our overheating world. We must act urgently to limit the impacts of climate change. We must also ensure that we respond in a way that builds resilient, equitable communities that support those most vulnerable to extreme changes in our environment.

As the peak organisation for community legal centres providing people with specialist social security legal help, Economic Justice Australia’s members assist people directly impacted by the extreme weather events caused by climate change, including bushfires and floods, who need immediate help with disaster payments. Our clients are also vulnerable to the social and health impacts of climate change, including financial hardship, physical and mental illness, and increased incidence of domestic violence, and have the least resources to adapt to these impacts.

The perception by many people in Australia that the current Commonwealth Government has not adopted a strong a clear policy to support the part Australis must play in seeking to address Climate Change is having a significant negative impact on mental health on millions of Australians. Several recent research studies have found that concerns about Climate Change are increasingly featuring as a major theme in suicidal ideation particularly for young people. For them and others the existential risk posed by climate change is several orders of magnitude of concerns above the transitional issue like the possible reliability of energy supply, increased energy prices or the structural changes in employment for people working in transitional industries. These can all done with a combination of resolve and investment whereas the quickly shrinking window of opportunity to address this significant and globally life threating issue is closing rapidly.

Health Promotion seeks to influence the conditions that create, support and improve health. This includes recognition of the impact and relationship with the ecological determinants of health. Efforts by health Promotion Practitioners to address inequities in health and social outcomes are undermined by inaction on climate change and a widespread failure to consider what we do in the context of planetary health. This threatens the health of individuals, communities and populations, particularly those already doing it tough. We are in this together. We need urgent action. Now.

Climate change matters to the Community Housing Industry Association as our members provide homes to low income households across Australia. We want to see all governments work with us to (1) retrofit the homes so they are comfortable to live in and cheap to run and (2) support us to build new low carbon homes. Our sector can be the catalyst for a shift in the way we build. There are investors out there who want to help fund this change.

Lower income people are likely to have worse health outcomes resulting from climate change and rent the least energy efficient housing, meaning that they are most impacted. Uniting Communities has taken leadership in reducing its impact on the environment and was Australia’s first charity to be certified carbon neutral in 2015 and recently committed to being net carbon zero by 2035. Making a lasting difference needs all levels of government, industry and the private and not for profit sectors to make commitments now to address climate change and its impacts.

With 37% of single mother families now living in poverty, these women and children are increasingly critically affected by rising heat levels and other health impacts of climate change. The majority of these families live in the older rental market where they contend with poor air flow, inefficient health and cooling, black mould etc. All the evidence points to unequal impacts climate change on our society with those on the lowest incomes at greatest risk and we see regularly, the toll these factors are taking on women and children in our community. We all have the chance to make a chance and urge the government to invest in strategies that will lead us forward.

Uniting Vic.Tas works alongside people of all ages in local communities across Victoria and Tasmania. We witnessed first-hand the devastating impact of the January 2020 bushfires on communities across Gippsland in Eastern Victoria – a disaster which, like many before it, took its toll on the most vulnerable and disadvantaged. Worsening climate change will exacerbate existing inequalities in our communities in terms of poor health, access to safe and affordable housing and food security. Urgent action is needed to reduce the threats posed by climate change and to transition to a fair, inclusive, and sustainable society.

Climate change has had devastating and widespread impacts for the 1 in 9 Australians with asthma. Bushfires, floods, dust storms, thunderstorms and heat waves trigger symptoms and flare ups and can be fatal. Things are only likely to get worse. We need action on climate change soon.

Our diverse communities have already seen the direct impact of climate changes through fires, storms and floods. When disasters strike, community members experiencing most disadvantage are hit even harder. The indirect impacts will also affect these people the most. We cant wait any longer to act.

We seek to bring to attention the devastating impact of climate change in very remote Aboriginal communities.

Communities around the country are seeking to take tangible action on climate change, particularly those in regional areas already affected by extreme weather events. We provide support and advice to help communities progress their own clean energy projects.

Young people are on the front lines of climate action and have been resilient in the face of natural disasters and the impacts of the climate crisis. Young people have the knowledge and ambition to create a more sustainable future that works for everyone and we are proud to support rapid, fair and inclusive action on climate change.

The wellbeing of the global community is as important as the wellbeing of our national, state and local communities. We are all connected and we must work in UNITY to have a healthy comm-UNITY. By helping ourselves, we also help others. Let’s work together to address the urgent needs facing our planet and our communities. Governments must do more and heed the call of the people.

We strive for healthy people living within healthy communities, on a healthy planet. Without this, the needs of the most vulnerable that we work with and demands on the health & community services sector will become even greater.

Climate change is not just a social justice issue, but a gender equality issue. We know that family violence increases during and after natural disasters. Climate change affects women’s financial security. The net zero economy can be an inclusive one and create job opportunities for women so they can thrive in the transition.

All Together Now views the human-induced climate crisis as a global social justice issue. We want Australia to be at the forefront of solving this challenge, starting with making a significant, evidence-based, robust commitment to reducing climate pollution by 2030. As a nation of innovators, our country’s contribution must involve First Nations, new migrants and People of Colour in creating positive solutions.

Time has run out, inaction is not an option. Climate change should not be a political view point, it must be above politics. We have seen the devastating impact of the recent bush fires. The loss of lives, flora and fauna and the devastating impact on people’s livelihoods. The impact on the Great Barrier reef is shocking, it also has a negative impact on the economy. We are seeing weather events that are beyond what is considered normal. For the sake of future generations we must halt further impacts on Australia and the planet.

Climate change disproportionately affects people experiencing vulnerability. In the face of rising unmet legal need, our organisation delivers impactful responses to unmet legal need and aims to prevent the negative consequences of legal problems experienced by individuals and community organisations.

Shelter NSW believes that everyone has the right to a safe and secure home. This means that housing should be affordable to those on low and very low incomes, it should be of good quality, and people should have security of tenure. The impacts of climate change, like extreme weather and climate instability, will disproportionately impact those who do not have access to a safe and secure home. We also know that for people who do not own their own home, accessing clean, renewable energy or installing sustainable home appliances is incredibly difficult. Many of our members have voiced their concern that climate change and housing insecurity will compound existing social issues and become an unmanageable crisis if serious action is not taken as soon as possible. This is why systemic action on climate change is so important, and why we call on all levels of government to increase their emissions reduction targets and fund sustainable energy and housing solutions. We agree that 2050 is too late, and serious changes must be implemented NOW if we are to avoid the worst effects of the climate crisis. Shelter NSW supports ACOSS in the Community Sector Declaration and we hope that serious reform can be implemented immediately.

Young people from refugee and migrant background are concerned about the challenges and risks presented by the climate change and want to act on it in their own purposeful ways together with their Australian peers. MYAN supports young people from refugee and migrant background to demand urgent climate action. Their voices, energy and ideas are vital to be included.

Young people are not just our future — they are part of our communities today. Young people are at the front of the climate movement and are leading conversations and actions on this at the frontline. Young people deserve a leading voice in this issue, and as a community we must be accountable to them in providing them a liveable climate and planet for those to come.

Climate change affects everyone in every community. In our community in the inner city of Sydney, we see the impacts in a very tangible way – reducing air quality, damaging our waterways, and impacting biodiversity. The crisis also exacerbates disadvantage, heightening inequality and dangers for people who are experiencing homelessness or who are precariously housed.

Wentworth Healthcare sits in a region that is increasingly impacted by natural disasters, including floods, bushfires, storms and heatwaves. These disasters have an effect on people’s physical and mental health. We support collective action to combat climate change and its impacts on the environment and our communities.

Wentworth Healthcare sits in a region that is increasingly impacted by natural disasters, including floods, bushfires, storms and heatwaves. These disasters have an effect on people’s physical and mental health. We support collective action to combat climate change and its impacts on the environment and our communities.

NSWCCL recognises that anthropogenic climate change is a crucial and urgent civil liberties and human rights issue. A healthy and functional climate system is an essential prerequisite to the exercise of all human rights and civil liberties.

Climate change has contributed to the increase of dangerous bushfires. In Hume and Whittlesea, we have a strong connection with our beautiful Australian natural bush environment. The Whittlesea community has experienced devastating bushfires and we live with the legacy of lives lost and the longer-term impact of disaster related trauma on survivors. Action on climate change is vital to reduce bushfires and support a healthy Australian environment. Healthy environment = Healthy people.

People who experience social and economic disadvantage are the first to be impacted adversely by climate change. Marrickville Legal Centre supports climate change advocacy in the community sector because fast, fair and inclusive climate action matters for our community and for the future of our young people.

Climate action matters to keep the pristine beaches clean and protect our wildlife. Our precious oceans are full of amazing wildlife that should be protected. Climate Action has impacted a lot of people’s lives and has a great impact on people with disability. People with disability should have a voice at the table when it comes to climate action. It is important that we address this complex issue and acknowledge that people with disability need to have a voice. As an example, people living with a physical disability that impacts their ability to breathe are adversely effected by bush fire smoke as a result of climate change. Many emergency services don’t know how to support people with disabilities in a climate crisis. It is not often talked about how people with disability are greatly effected and that people with disability can offer something when it comes to the solution of fighting climate change.

There is a Meals on Wheels in every community in NSW, big and small. Over the past two years, our services have all been touched in some way by catastrophic climate events that are happening locally, so we need to work towards mitigating these effects  of climate change for the future.

At Kevin Heinze Grow our program participants work outdoors. The services we provide to people with a disability, poor mental health and complex medicals conditions are contingent on a safe climate which supports human endeavor. Without ambitious climate action many of our services will cease to exist.

Significant changes have been observed in recent decades towards more dangerous floods, bushfires and heatwave weather conditions in some regions of Australia, indicating longer and more severe disasters. People who have the least resources take longer to recover, which widens the divide for some of our most vulnerable community members. We make an urgent request for the Australian Federal Government to commit to stronger targets and fair and inclusive policies to cut climate pollution this decade. 2050 is too late.

Migrant groups and socially and economically disadvantaged communities we work with in western and south-western Sydney live with the reality of longer hotter summers and the unrelenting heat waves that come with this and they are the least prepared and resourced cohorts in our society to manage the impact of this on their health and well-being . These community groups are locked out of the renewable energy market because they live in sub-standard rentals or social housing and have no control of their living circumstances, but they bear the brunt of heat waves, smoke and pollution from summer bush fires and the rising cost of energy. And as first generation migrants from developing countries. our communities understand this is a global problem that is unequally impacting on them here as well as on their families and communities back home and they want Australia to take urgent action on this.

Climate change affects us all and particularly those who have less access to resources. We have already seen the impacts in the communities where we work through unprecedented fire and flood. By acting now, we can create a safer and healthier community for everyone.

Climate change has a long term impact on the frequency and impact of natural disasters that effect the charities and communities that we provide insurance cover. It also impacts on each organisation’s ability to deploy resources, recruit, manage and maintain employees and volunteers and to access affordable insurance to protect its assets over the longer term.

In the Yarra local government area, electricity is by far the largest source of community emissions. To address the climate emergency we need to accelerate and scale access to affordable renewable energy. YEF’s mission is to reduce carbon emissions from energy to zero as soon as possible, by working with residents, businesses and community organisations to mobilise and take practical steps – including solar PV, community batteries, and power purchase agreements – to reducing our carbon footprints.

At our heart, Infoxchange is about technology for social justice. We know that one of the biggest challenges of our time to continue addressing social justice is climate change. So together we stand for the delivery of fast, fair and inclusive action to address climate change.

A large proportion of our clients live in the Blue Mountains and surrounding regions. The increase in the number of climate events (bushfire, floods, heatwaves etc) and their ferocity are presenting greater and greater risks to our clients who are already vulnerable. Planning for the safety for vulnerable people during these events is poor. We need action now.

As a regional organisation in Victoria, our communities are feeling the impacts of climate change already, and want to realise the opportunities that come from taking action.

Working in the western suburbs of Melbourne, climate change is affecting many of our community because they are unable to cool their houses due to increased power bills. As an organisation that works with young people, we have been told that our young people are anxious about climate change and their future and feel powerless to do anything about it. This is unacceptable.

As a medical organization we stand with the AMA in declaring the Climate Crisis as a Health Emergency requiring immediate action to avoid the major health impacts of Climate Change. As an NGO that works for social justice for LGBTIQ people nationally and globally, we are aware that socially disadvantaged groups are more heavily impacted by Climate Change, and that advocacy and greater support is needed for these groups as the effects of Climate Change occur.

The future should not be left to chance, and we should all be able to reap the benefits of a healthy environment. We have an obligation to urgently address the causes of climate change to ensure that the impacts are addressed. Life Without Barriers whole heartedly supports ACOSS’ call on the Government to commit to strong targets and fair and inclusive policies to cut climate pollution this decade.