Leading child rights organisation backs proposal calling on the Federal Government to consider the impact of climate harm on young people in its decision-making.

Children and young people in Australia deserve to have their rights protected in the face of the climate crisis and are owed a duty of care when governments make decisions that will impact their futures, Save the Children said today.

“The climate crisis is a child rights crisis at its core and to adequately address this we must put child rights at the heart of our collective response and ensure children’s voices are heard,” said Save the Children Australia CEO Mat Tinkler.

Youth climate activist Anjali Sharma and independent senator David Pocock have proposed to alter Australia’s Climate Change Act and establish a duty of care in Australian law to protect young people from climate harm when assessing fossil fuel projects.

Tinkler highlighted that the organisation was supportive in principle, adding that children and young people too often bear the brunt of the climate crisis and are rarely fully considered by decision-makers.

“Children across the world are already suffering the impacts of the climate crisis: from more frequent floods and bushfires in Australia to intensified cyclones and rising sea levels in the Pacific,” he said.

“Young people across Australia have been asking the government to consider their experiences and their fears about the impact of the climate crisis. This bill presents an important opportunity to listen and act to help safeguard their future.”

Save the Children is calling on Australia to rapidly phase out the use and subsidy of fossil fuels, and transition to renewable and green energy as quickly as possible.

“It’s essential that children and young people’s health and well-being is considered when forming climate policies because decisions that are made today will have long-lasting implications,” he added.