To all Australian Parliamentarians and Councillors,

I am a parent, guardian or grandparent and I am deeply concerned about the threat that climate change poses to my children and grandchildren.

The future safety and survival of our children - and their future children - is under direct threat by the excess carbon emissions in the atmosphere, which is destroying the ecosystems on which we all depend for our survival.

Given that:

• climate impacts are already causing serious loss of life and destroying vital ecosystems
• global average temperature, atmospheric greenhouse gases, and ocean acidity are already at dangerous levels, and
• wartime economic mobilisations have proven how quickly nations can restructure their economies when facing an extreme threat

it is inexcusable to continue with climate-damaging policies that put us all in even greater peril. The Paris Agreement’s 1.5°C goal is not a safe goal.

We call on all Australian federal, state, and territory parliaments and all local councils to:

• declare a climate emergency
• commit to providing maximum protection for all children, adults, economies, species, ecosystems, and civilisations, and to fully restoring a safe climate
• mobilise the required resources and take effective action at the necessary scale and speed
• transform the economy to zero emissions and make a fair contribution to drawing down the excess carbon dioxide in the air, and
• encourage all other governments around the world to take these same actions.

We've risen to big challenges in the past when an emergency has been declared, with citizens and all sides of politics rising to the occasion and working together for the common good.

We call on all levels of government to do what is necessary now. This is an urgent threat to us all, especially our children.