“I believe a World War II-scale Climate Mobilization is the transformational idea that can once again unify all of us, in a global effort to avert catastrophic climate change, and live sustainably on this planet.“

“I call on Australian governments and the public to elevate their concerns and responses to climate change which is having an urgent, immediate impact in the Torres Strait: Our communities are being submerged by rising sea levels”

“There’s no shortage of research that shows people are worried about climate change. The problem is not people thinking it’s a problem, the problem is what are people willing to do about it.“

“If we fail to act now, Australians will be hostage to external and increasingly unpredictable events of an order of magnitude and seriousness of threat most reasonably compared to war.”

“If humanity’s two choices are to transform or to collapse, the only rational, moral choice is to immerse yourself in the struggle to protect all life.”

“The world is seriously lagging behind what needs to be done, we know that because that is the science.“

“Enough scandalous time-wasting on climate change. Let’s get back to the facts. At this point of crisis we must bypass rhetoric and political posturing.”

“For those of us who work in the humanitarian sector, climate change does have a face. It is a child with no food to eat, or huddled in a flimsy shelter during a violent storm.”

“Our politicians refuse to listen to the educated, so why should we be sitting in history class when we could be on the streets making history itself?”

“Declaring a climate emergency in Australia almost goes without saying. Climate was an emergency some 30 years ago.”

“Everybody knows the value of debate, but debates have to be settled at some point.“

“The fog of Australian politics on climate change has obscured a fateful reality: Australia has the potential to be an economic superpower of the future post-carbon world.”

“It’s ridiculous that climate change policy and our long-term sustainability questions are considered ‘left-leaning’, because climate is everybody’s future.”

“I’d like to see Labor, the coalition government, Greens and the crossbenchers all come together and declare a climate emergency.“

“In the absence of climate change action by the national government it really is falling to the cities to do even more.“

“My generation is facing the climate emergency right now, it’s not a crisis I will face in the distant future. I think all generations should be calling for emergency-level action on climate change.”

“Denying we have a problem means you are a part of the problem. This is a Climate Emergency.“

“Climate change is a human health issue that is going to have a dramatic effect on our health care system.“

“There is the assumption that this is something that can be handled with incremental change from our business as usual. Addressing existential risk is a fundamentally different level of response from anything that is being contemplated at the present time.“

“Right now, our world faces an environmental and climate emergency and economic inequality is spiraling out of control. We need a publicly led, whole-of-society response to this crisis. To tackle the climate emergency, Australia needs a Green New Deal.“

“We must focus on those things people really care about – themselves, their health, their family, their community – and what will happen if they don’t act.”

“Australia is facing climate emergency without a safety plan. Aboriginal land management practices which provided safety for generations have been disregarded since colonisation with severe consequences. Can Australia continue to fail to include Aboriginal people and Indigenous knowledges in a sustainable future?“

“Any rational response to the scientific evidence would suggest that we should mobilise today with the utmost urgency to transform the economy inside a decade. This is no longer a long term issue.“

“Climate change is the challenge of our generation. Our future depends on the decisions before us today – cutting emissions, leaving coal in the ground, and embracing the renewables revolution.”

“Farmers are feeling the impacts of climate change right now. That’s a concern for everyone who eats food. But what excites me is agriculture’s key role in the solutions.“

“Getting into emergency mode, rapidly, is the central challenge for the climate movement and for all those who understand what we are facing.”

“Communities are increasingly calling on their local leaders to act on climate change, with many councils at the precipice of the issue. This sort of synergy between state and local and federal action can deliver a lot of outcomes for communities.”

“Climate disruption is an existential risk. This is not like other risks. If we crash the climate system and destroy civilization, then we cannot learn from our mistakes. You only do that once.”

“The public will is growing and we have the solutions, but we don’t have the political will to act like our house is on fire.”

“If we don’t declare an emergency I don’t think I can, hand on my heart, say we’re doing enough.“

“Not only is our unique natural heritage under threat, but the consequences for agriculture, tourism, and the economy may be catastrophic.“

“We have the most opportunity geographically in terms of our space, in terms of our uninhibited land but we could actually be driving the revolution across the world when it comes to energy. We need to do that in a different way than we have been doing.”

“Agriculture is the greatest source of emissions in Australia after the energy sector. Changing the way we produce and consume food – especially our protein supply – is critical to addressing the climate emergency.”

“Is there anything more dispiriting than watching the left attack one another instead of the people who are really doing damage? We are in a climate emergency. It’s all our faults to some degree but flinging blame about won’t fix anything & will only make everything worse.“

“There is no silver bullet for tackling climate change. A multifaceted approach is fundamental in order to seek maximum protection for all people and species.“

“Once we start reaching out to diverse groups through volunteers from the community working hand in hand with council to get a combined approach, the climate emergency message will be unstoppable.”

“We are in a climate and ecological emergency. We are risking collapse. It’s time to tell the truth and act as though the truth is real. It’s time to rebel.”

“If we want to truly accelerate Australia’s transition to renewable energy, we need a more resilient grid with simpler and more transparent means to connect – and this will all require bipartisan support.”

“I think it’s the defining threat of this century. I can’t think of any other threat that is transforming the planet on this level or scale. It’s such a ubiquitous threat”

“Increasing our climate ambition and investing in new, clean industries will benefit Australian workers, businesses, and communities. This is an opportunity we shouldn’t miss.”

“Climate change is the biggest single issue we all face, and it too is about humanity. It’s about our survival, but it’s also about jobs, health, power bills, the liveability of our towns and cities, whether it’s too hot to enjoy our summers, whether our community parks are protected, and whether we have clean air and clean water that doesn’t make us sick.“

“Challenging times demand strong responses. A group of Australia’s acclaimed architects are putting up their hands to be instrumental in creating the future we need. We hope many more practices and individuals will follow their lead.”

“Things are changing fast and there’s a lot we’re all trying to understand quickly. But we can meet the challenge. As individuals, communities, countries and governments, we must play our part in cleaning up our energy consumption.“

“For Indigenous people, the impact of climate change is not a future event. It has occurred in the past, and it is occurring now.“

“We already have the tools and technologies to design and build energy efficient houses, neighbourhoods and indeed whole cities that are net zero carbon, fossil fuel free, with a fraction of the running costs of current practice.“

“The climate emergency offers a turning point in human history. Before us all is the opportunity to completely transform our cultures and societies to be just, democratic and equitable – the stakes for doing so have never been higher.”

“To save our iconic ecological systems, like the Great Barrier Reef, we must now mobilise society to transition to a safe climate economy at emergency speed. The time for incremental change is over.“

“Declaring and responding to the climate emergency we are facing, actually is climate justice. Last years school strikes was the alarm being sounded, 2020 is about mobilisation and embedding a climate & biodiversity lens to everything we do.“

“Citizens must act now and hold governments and complicit ministers accountable for their failure to enact policies that could avoid unnecessary risk.“

“Taking some of the power … away from companies, governments and institutions and putting it back in the hands of individuals … is tackling the inequity at the heart of the system.”

“I feel hopeful that the collective voice about the climate emergency is beginning to be heard, and that Australians have the opportunity to significantly contribute to climate emergency level actions now.“

“Climate change isn’t going anywhere – this is such a complex beast of a problem that we need our best minds working on ways to model scenarios, reduce emissions, and mitigate the climate effects our living world is already facing.“

“The tables are reversed. To address the climate emergency extractive settler Australia will need to politely invite Indigenous peoples to deploy their extensive native title rights and interests to assist.”

“We are experiencing a climate emergency representing an existential threat. The changes that are being unleashed are currently taking us in exactly the wrong direction – away from the climate stability of the Holocene period, away from safe climate conditions.“

“Regional communities like mine — Victoria’s Hepburn Shire — are on the climate change frontline and increasingly in a precarious position that is set to get worse unless we take urgent, decisive action.“

“An unprecedented crisis requires unprecedented solutions.”

“It is not a political thing — it is a scientific fact that we are going through climate change.“

“Our latest research has found that two-thirds of Australians believe the country is facing a climate emergency and that the Government should mobilise all of society to tackle the issue, like they did during the World Wars.“

“The nexus of the climate and biodiversity crisis shows us that we need a different way of interacting with the Earth, one that is based on a different set of values than material wealth and consumption.“

“Global demand for low-carbon goods and services is currently outstripping supply. Australian manufacturers can rapidly transition to zero emissions energy and capitalise on this enormous opportunity to secure high-quality jobs and strong regional communities.“

“Blue Carbon represents a powerful weapon in the fight against climate change, and, ironically, it capitalises on the same natural process that created fossil fuels in the first place.”

‘Like all extraordinary emergencies, climate change requires an urgent and drastic response. As the climate emergency develops, our current understanding of what is reasonable and what is lawful will inevitably change.’

“We know we live in a climate emergency and need to lead our residents and business community to take action.“

“The ongoing connection of First Nations people’s to land and culture is critical to life on this land.“

“After 15 years reporting climate, I understand the power and complexity of the Earth system. But I’m still mystified by humans. Our survival turns on knowing ourselves, overcoming our limitations.“

“I’ve never been more terrified and yet more hopeful. This could be Australia’s Pearl Harbor moment. No government can ignore a supermajority of support for long.“

“A crisis needs to be called out for what it is. No other designation will result in the required concerted corrective action necessary to solve the problem.“

“Our systems of government aren’t up to the task in front of them. Climate emergency action has to involve deepening and regenerating democracy.“

“The climate crisis is now a health emergency, with extreme weather events, disease, mental illness and infrastructure collapse killing what the WHO predicts will be millions around the world over the next decade.“

“Mitigating and planning for climate risk is the responsibility of governments at all levels, yet many of our clients feel abandoned. Now, more than ever, they’re turning to lawyers for help.”

“There’s such a push for change at the moment all around the world. There’s the kid’s climate strikes, people want to create a new version of the world we’re living in. So I think there’s a chance that we might get there“

“The climate emergency is set to rapidly increase the risk to all of us, but those who are already vulnerable will face the worst of it. To avoid the deaths of millions, talk must now turn to action.“

“If we are to survive, let alone thrive, we must find our way back. Back to our true place as part of nature. Back to the potential we carry sleeping in our bones. Back home.“

“There’s never been a better time to discuss climate solutions. Protecting communities from climate impacts is something all political parties can support.“

“We must respond to the climate crisis in a manner that strengthens our democracy, advances the rule of law and promotes climate justice.”

“Twenty Five years of climate inaction has brought us to the brink of a climate abyss. Our delayed response to climate change jeopardises human life and livelihoods.“

“Military strategists must make a paradigm shift and consider climate change a core national security issue and existential security risk requiring immediate concerted attention.”

“I believe we must have interaction that creates human engagement via visual disruptions to engage the public in everyday conversations about topics on coal, gas and deforestation. To engage people in conversations about these global issues in a safe, friendly and optimistic manner with a tangible and achievable outcome.“

“We need innovative and value-creating ways to balance carbon cycles within industry and agriculture, but drawdown of elevated CO2 levels is critical if we are to achieve safe climate conditions.”

“We are all locked in a pattern, whether we like it or not, that is unhealthy and unhelpful to our wellness as citizens and the planet itself. Therefore we all have a responsibility to redesign the system.“

“We need our national political system curtailed in the short term with an emergency cabinet of all parties to make the needed hard decisions. For the long term, we need to start deep democracy work to grow out of diverse localisation that prepares us for direct democracy.“

“Town planners work to shape our cities and regions to reduce emissions and adapt them to a more unpredictable climate. But it’s clearly now an emergency, because no community can successfully respond to run-away climate change.”

“It’s our responsibility to help preserve the planet for the next generation of travellers and the communities that call these places home.“

“Australia’s headed for a climate insurance red zone“

“I believe we must have interaction that creates human engagement via visual disruptions to engage the public in everyday conversations about topics on coal, gas and deforestation. To engage people in conversations about these global issues in a safe, friendly and optimistic manner with a tangible and achievable outcome.“