Climate change is a crisis of intergenerational justice. It’s not too late to make it right

Climate change is the biggest issue of our time. 2024 marked both the hottest year on record^[1] and the highest levels^[2] of carbon dioxide (CO2) emissions in the past two million years.

Global warming increases the frequency and severity^[3] of extreme weather events, bushfires, floods and droughts. These are already affecting young people, who will experience the challenges for more of their lives than older people.

It will also adversely affect those not yet born, creating a crisis of intergenerational justice.

Caught in the changing climate

In 2025, children and young people comprise a third^[4] of Australia’s population.

Given their early stage of physiological and cognitive development, children are more vulnerable to climate disasters^[5] such as crop failures, river floods and drought.

They are also less able to protect themselves from the associated trauma^[6] than most older people.

Under current emissions trajectories, United Nations research^[7] warns every child in Australia could be subject to more than four heatwaves a year. It’s estimated more than two million Australian children could be living in areas where heatwaves will last longer than four days.

A recent report^[8] found more than one million children and young people in Australia experience a climate disaster or extreme weather event in an “average year”.

Those in remote areas, from lower socioeconomic backgrounds and Indigenous children are more likely to be negatively effected. That’s equivalent to one in six children, and numbers are rising.

Anxiety, frustration and fear

The impact of climate change on young people’s health and wellbeing is also significant. Globally, young people bear the greatest psychological burden associated with the impacts of climate change^[9].

Feelings such as frustration, fear and anxiety related to climate change are compounded by the experience of extreme weather events and associated health impacts^[10].

Intergenerational inequality is the term on the lips of policymakers in Canberra and beyond. In this four-part series, we’ve asked leading experts what’s making younger generations worse off and how policy could help fix it. For young people who live through climate-related disasters, they may experience^[11] challenges with education, displacement, housing insecurity and financial difficulties. All these come on top of other issues. These include^[12] increased socioeconomic inequality, rising child poverty, mounting education debt, precarious employment, and lack of access to affordable housing. This means this generation of young people is likely to be worse off economically^[13] than their parents. Not walking the walk Some key policy figures understand how climate change is turbo-charging intergenerational unfairness. Former treasury secretary Ken Henry described^[14] the situation as an “intergenerational tragedy”, referring to the ways Australian policymakers are failing to address the changing climate, among other crucial issues. Read more: Ken Henry urges nature law reform after decades of 'intergenerational bastardry'^[15] Even Treasurer Jim Chalmers^[16] acknowledged “intergenerational fairness is one of the defining principles of our country”. Yet, the current responses to the Climate Risk Assessment Report^[17] suggest it’s not the highest priority. Climate change was barely mentioned in the May 2025 federal election. The major parties largely avoided the subject. It was also concerning that the first major decision^[18] of the newly reelected Albanese government was approving an extension to Woodside’s North West Shelf gas project off Western Australia until 2070. This leaves a legacy to young people^[19] of an additional 87 million tonnes of carbon dioxide equivalent every year for many years to come. Raising young voices Australia’s children and young people are not stupid. Many worked out early that they could not trust governments. Since 2018^[20], young people have mobilised hundreds of thousands of other children in protests calling for climate action.

Youth-led organisations in Australia, such as the Australian Youth Climate Coalition^[22], have long led campaigns and strategies^[23] to address climate change. They are joined by an increasing range of older allies, from Parents for Climate^[24] to the Knitting Nannas^[25] to the Country Women’s Association.

Domestically, many young people have turned to strategic climate litigation^[26] and collaboration with members of parliament on legislative change. They argue governments have a legal duty of care to prevent the harms of climate change.

Thwarted attempts

Beyond accelerating implementation of the National Adaptation Plan^[27], other legislative innovations will help.

In 2023, young people worked with independent Senator David Pocock to draft legislation^[28] addressing these concerns.

This bill required governments to consider the health and wellbeing of children and future generations when deciding on projects that could exacerbate climate change.

It was sent to the Senate Environment and Communications Legislation Committee. While all but one of 403 public submissions^[29] to the committee supported the bill, in June 2024 the Labor and Coalition members agreed to reject it. They argued it was difficult to quantify notions such as “wellbeing” or “material risk”.

Adding insult to injury, both major parties claimed Australia already had more than adequate environmental laws in place to protect children.

Turning around the Titanic

The Australian parliament may have another opportunity to embed a legislative duty to protect children and secure intergenerational justice. Independent MP Sophie Scamps introduced the Wellbeing of Future Generations Bill^[30] in February 2025. As legislation brought before the parliament lapses once an election is called, Scamps is planning to reintroduce the bill in this sitting term.

The bill would introduce a legislative framework to embed the wellbeing of future generations into decision making processes. It would also establish a positive duty and create an independent commissioner for future generations to advocate for Australia’s long-term interests and sustainable practice.

While this bill does not include penalties for breaches of the duty, if passed, it would force the government of the day to consider the rights and interests of current and future generations.

Read more: A decade on, six things the world can learn from Wales’ innovative future generations law^[31]

It’s based on similar legislation in Wales^[32], which has worked successfully^[33] for a decade.

If nothing else, the Welsh experiment suggests we can take entirely practical steps to promote intergenerational justice, reduce the negative impacts of climate change on young people right now and avert a climate catastrophe threatening our children who are yet to be born.

It may feel like turning around the Titanic, but it must be done.

References

1. ^{^} hottest year on record (wmo.int)
2. ^{^} highest levels (essd.copernicus.org)
3. ^{^} the frequency and severity (www.ipcc.ch)
4. ^{^} a third (www.aihw.gov.au)
5. ^{^} more vulnerable to climate disasters (www.thelancet.com)
6. ^{^} associated trauma (www.nature.com)
7. ^{^} United Nations research (assets-us-01.kc-usercontent.com)
8. ^{^} recent report (www.unicef.org.au)
9. ^{^} impacts of climate change (link.springer.com)
10. ^{^} health impacts (www.sciencedirect.com)
11. ^{^} may experience (www.unicef.org.au)
12. ^{^} These include (theconversation.com)
13. ^{^} likely to be worse off economically (www.theguardian.com)
14. ^{^} described (www.abc.net.au)
15. ^{^} Ken Henry urges nature law reform after decades of 'intergenerational bastardry' (theconversation.com)
16. ^{^} Treasurer Jim Chalmers (www.theguardian.com)
17. ^{^} Climate Risk Assessment Report (www.acs.gov.au)
18. ^{^} the first major decision (theconversation.com)
19. ^{^} leaves a legacy to young people (www.theguardian.com)
20. ^{^} Since 2018 (www.tandfonline.com)
21. ^{^} Bianca De Marchi/AAP (photos.aap.com.au)
22. ^{^} Australian Youth Climate Coalition (www.aycc.org.au)
23. ^{^} led campaigns and strategies (www.tandfonline.com)
24. ^{^} Parents for Climate (www.parentsforclimate.org)
25. ^{^} Knitting Nannas (knitting-nannas.com)
26. ^{^} strategic climate litigation (issuu.com)
27. ^{^} National Adaptation Plan (www.dcceew.gov.au)
28. ^{^} legislation (www.aph.gov.au)
29. ^{^} public submissions (www.aph.gov.au)
30. ^{^} Wellbeing of Future Generations Bill (classic.austlii.edu.au)
31. ^{^} A decade on, six things the world can learn from Wales’ innovative future generations law (theconversation.com)
32. ^{^} Wales (www.gov.wales)
33. ^{^} which has worked successfully (theconversation.com)