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Parents: Weak 2035 Climate Target Fails the Child Safety Test - Government ignores its own warnings, leaving children exposed to escalating climate risks

Parents: Weak 2035 Climate Target Fails the Child Safety Test - Government ignores its own warnings, leaving children exposed to escalating climate risks

Parents for Climate

DATE: Thursday 18 September

The Albanese Government’s weak 2035 climate target fails the child safety test. Despite clear warnings from its own National Climate Risk Assessment, which shows children and young people will be among the most harmed by worsening heat, fires, floods, and economic shocks, the government has chosen a pathway that locks in a dangerous future.

Nic Seton, CEO of Parents for Climate, says:
"As a parent, it’s heartbreaking and insulting. The Albanese Government has read the report, seen the risks to our kids’ health, homes, and communities, and still set a target that knowingly puts them in harm’s way. Parents don’t gamble with kids’ safety. Neither should the government."

"Every delay, every weak target, compounds the risk for our children. This unscientific 2035 target leads to dangerous warming above 2 degrees, leaving more homes vulnerable, more schools disrupted, and more communities exposed. It’s a failure of courage, leadership, and responsibility."

The government’s own National Climate Risk Assessment confirms that children will be disproportionately harmed by escalating climate impacts. Parents for Climate says this reinforces the government’s duty under Australian and international law to act on the best-available science and protect children’s right to a safe future.

David Barnden, Managing Principal & Director, Equity Generations Lawyers says: 

“The International Court of Justice confirmed governments must set emissions reduction targets consistent with 1.5C and the best available science. For Australia, under the Climate Change Act, we say that means a net zero by 2035 target.”

 

By setting a target that falls short, Parents for Climate contends the government may be failing in this responsibility. With legal partners Equity Generation Lawyers, Parents for Climate are now exploring what this could mean for the safety of children and young people.

Nic Seton adds, "Our kids didn’t choose this crisis, but they pay the cost when leaders fail to act. Protecting children’s safety is non-negotiable, and parents will hold the government accountable through advocacy, action, and if needed, the law. We call on the government to adopt a science-aligned 2035 climate target and to stop approving new coal and gas projects, so every child has a chance to grow up safe and healthy."

For further comment or clarifications, contact Parents for Climate CEO Nic Seton on 0407 638 973 or [email protected]

 

 

Notes to Editors:

  • Australia is legally bound - under both the Paris Agreement and the Climate Change Act 2022 - to reduce emissions in line with the best available science.

  • The weak 2035 target contrasts sharply with scientific advice and the National Climate Risk Assessment’s (NCRA) worst-case scenario projections. The NCRA shows that without rapid cuts to coal, oil, and gas pollution:

  • Severe heatwaves could quadruple, with heat-related deaths increasing hundreds of percent in major cities.

  • Sea-level rise will put 1.5 million Australians at risk by 2050.

  • Economic disruption from climate-driven disasters could cost hundreds of billions.

  • Communities will experience compounding, cascading, and concurrent hazards.

  • Strong action now can create jobs in clean energy while protecting children from escalating climate impacts.

About Parents for Climate:

Parents for Climate represents over 24,000 parents, grandparents and carers from Australia. We are Australia’s leading organisation for people who care about a safe future for kids and advocating for a safe climate. Our supporters come from across the political spectrum, all Australian electorates, and from a wide range of socio-economic backgrounds. We seek non-partisan responses to climate change and its impacts. 

We advocate for Australian governments and businesses to take urgent action to cut Australia’s carbon emissions to net zero as quickly as possible. We encourage Australia to demonstrate leadership on the world stage through positive and proactive domestic action and calling for other nations to take the necessary steps to protect our children’s futures. For more information, visit www.parentsforclimate.org


Contact details:

For further comment or clarifications, contact Parents for Climate CEO Nic Seton on 0407 638 973 or [email protected]