Addressing intergenerational injustice

December 15, 2023

The UN Child Rights Committee states that children have a right to a clean, healthy and sustainable environment. Yet, as David Shearman explains, Australias young people are burdened with air pollution from burning fossil fuels, and a climate and environment that is in a state of severe decline (Amendment of the Climate Change Act will offer a future for young people 9/12). Most remain unaware that 12 per cent of all childhood asthma cases are due to cooking with gas in the home. And that 11,000 Australians die prematurely from traffic exhaust air pollution. The impact of fine particulate matter and other toxins released from vehicle exhaust and gas in the home on developing lungs is unacceptable, especially when fossil fuel free alternatives are available. Further, the physical and mental health and well-being of our nations young people is increasingly impacted by the ravages of global heating. Like Shearman, I support Senator David Pococks Climate Change Amendment Bill which calls for a duty of care to young people to be considered in all policy decisions. The intergenerational injustice we are inflicting on young people is completely unacceptable and must be addressed.

Sources: https://www.nationalasthma.org.au/living-with-asthma/resources/patients-carers/factsheets/gas-stoves-and-asthma-in-children https://www.unimelb.edu.au/newsroom/news/2023/february/vehicle-emissions-may-cause-over-11,000-deaths-a-year,-research-shows