Australians love the great outdoors, from our beaches to our forests, rivers and wide open plains. We have some of the most unique flora and fauna on the planet. In Australia, nearly 50% of our birds, 87% of our mammals and 93% of our flowering plants are unique to us.

But much of it is under threat. Climate breakdown, land clearing and invasive species are wreaking havoc on our natural environment. We’re ranked fourth in the world for plant and animal extinctions, as well as holding the terrible record of being the only developed country listed as a deforestation hotspot.

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We have 511 animals, 1,356 plants and 82 distinct ecological communities listed as nationally threatened, and these numbers are trending in the wrong direction. Globally, the UN tells us there are a million species under threat of extinction.

Meanwhile, we have a government riddled with climate deniers, intent on sitting on its hands on climate action, while delaying the release of emissions data and wilfully lying about our ability to meet even our meagre Paris commitments.

It has allowed broadscale land clearing to continue, destroying habitat.

And it continues to leave our threatened species floundering, delaying additions to the threatened species list and cutting funding from an environment department already struggling to meet its obligations.

Taking over from the most absent environment minister in our nation’s history, Sussan Ley certainly has her work cut out for her.

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The problems we face aren’t just about losing species. What happens to the planet affects all of us. Many Australians care deeply about this and are taking actions in their lives and homes to do better. From recycling to water tanks, solar panels, battery storage, planting trees and more, people are taking small actions to improve their environment.



But some problems require political solutions. The climate and extinction crises we are facing are two such problems. We know they can be solved if only we have the political will.



If we are to halt and reverse the damage we’re doing to our natural environment, we must take urgent steps. Our environment laws need updating. They don’t even account for climate change. For all the talk of Adani’s approvals, drilling in the Bight, and widespread land clearing in Queensland and New South Wales, there is no mechanism in Australian law to consider their climate impacts.

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That’s why I will be introducing a private member’s bill for a climate trigger when parliament resumes in July. Our environment laws have not kept up with environmental reality. Climate change is at the centre of the threats our environment faces today. While a price on carbon looks unlikely in the near future, with Labor crab-walking away and the Coalition seemingly to abandon any market mechanism, we need something that will limit damage to the climate. This climate trigger would give us a mechanism to assess major developments and approve or reject them based on their emissions.

But reducing our carbon pollution won’t be enough to save species already under threat. With our list of threatened species continuing to grow, it’s well past time their recovery plans were fully funded. That’s why I am calling on Ley to, as a bare minimum, commit to the $200m a year environment groups say is necessary to fund our threatened species recovery plans. We must stem the tide of extinction.



I encourage everyone to contact their local representative and ask what they are doing to solve these twin crises. With enough of us working towards it, we can build the kind of future we want, not the kind of future we are on course for.



• Sarah Hanson-Young is the Australian Greens’ senator for South Australia and the Australian Greens environment and water spokesperson