Senator Mehreen Faruqi amplifies Sophie's voice on taking strong climate action

Joining the 2024 Youth Voice in Parliament campaign, Senator Mehreen Faruqi amplified the voice of 11 year old Sophie on taking strong climate action. Speech transcript is below -

"Massive floods, horrifying bushfires, smoke filled summers and an increase in poverty: this is what our future will look like if we don't commit to a ban on fossil fuels.

I want to grow up in a community safe from the risk of climate change, a community safe from the problems made from the people in the past. This can only be done if drastic measures are taken now.

I want the kids in the future who grow up in this community to not have to deal with the mistakes made today. They should be free to live out their lives to the fullest of their abilities and not have to be limited by the effects of poverty caused by climate change. I want the generations to come to still be able to see animals like koalas, bilbies and quolls in their natural habitats before they're burnt or flooded away.

To do this Australia needs to commit to reaching net zero emissions by 2050. To successfully reach their promised emission goals Australia will need to quickly bring in new laws regarding a ban on fossil fuels. Invite more people to start using solar panels, electric cars and take public transport. In order to get 27% below 2005 levels we’ll need to seriously reduce our emissions.

Another thing we seriously need to consider is the lowering of our consumption of red meat. Did you know that it takes around 2,000 litres of water to produce one burger and if you’re fond of bacon and cheese on your tasty meal, it's more like 3,000 litres? Australians eat 30 million burgers a year that's 60 billion litres of water being used.

If Australia were to reach net zero emissions we’d need to seriously cut down on our beef consumption and add more in the way of vegetables and fruit. This will also help improve people’s health and put less strain on our public health system.

In conclusion, we simply have to develop new laws to ban fossil fuels and use more renewable sources of energy as well as change our eating habits if we are to ensure a safe and sustainable environment for future generations."