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AAP
AAP
Poppy Johnston

Climate fight here and now, and linked to living costs

Joseph Sikulu says disinformation among Pacific communities is hampering a push for climate action. (Supplied/AAP PHOTOS)

The federal election looms as a pivotal opportunity for advocates seeking to mobilise voters on climate change action.

Joseph Sikulu, Pacific director for 350.org, views it as a chance to push Australia on its ambition as a "big brother nation" to the climate-vulnerable Pacific region.

But there are fresh challenges facing the Pacific Climate Warriors, as they are also known, as they try to engage diaspora communities before they head to the polls in May.

Queensland floods
The impact of recent floods in Queensland continues to be felt. (Scott Radford-Chisholm/AAP PHOTOS)

Anti-climate science rhetoric originating in the US had been spilling over into Australian social media feeds and broader discourse, Sydney-based Mr Sikulu said.

"A lot of misinformation and disinformation is already making its way into our communities," he told AAP.

The financial squeeze of higher prices for groceries, housing and bills had also, understandably, made it harder to engage people on climate.

But Mr Sikulu said action to decarbonise and adapt to climate change would eventually ease hip-pocket pain.

Wind and solar are consistently ranked by the CSIRO as the cheapest forms of new electricity generation and modelling by the Clean Energy Investor Group suggests household power bills would be nearly $420 more annually if the grid was reliant solely on coal and gas.

Insurance is another pressure point as insurers price in the increased risk of natural disasters due to climate change.

A resident cleaning up their house after floods in Brisbane
Failure to curb climate change is increasing natural disasters and making insurance more costly. (Jono Searle/AAP PHOTOS)

The overlap between economic security and the rising global temperatures had become increasingly hard to ignore, Tomorrow Movement national director Desiree Cai said.

The best solutions tick more than one box at once, she explained, such as adapting homes to be more resilient to floods, fires and storms and reducing the long-term financial burden of repairs and expensive insurance.

"Climate is not just a thing for the future that doesn't impact me now," Ms Cai told AAP.

"There is a move to link it more to how people are actually experiencing the world and their finances now."

Labor's victory at the last election was viewed hopefully by climate advocates, with former prime minister Scott Morrison's decision to holiday during disastrous bushfires a memorable example of the coalition government's perceived failures on the issue.

People campaigning for climate action during the 2022 election
Climate activists will try to reset the way they tackle the issue in the forthcoming election. (HANDOUT/TOMORROW MOVEMENT)

Ms Cai viewed Labor's climate track record as mixed, with policy wins logged on the clean energy transition but the ongoing expansion of the fossil fuel industry a source of disillusionment.

"The status quo just isn't working for a lot of us," she said, noting Generation Z and Millennials made up 47 per cent of voters so would be a force to be reckoned with come election day.

Mr Sikulu said 350.org had shifted focus to community-scale climate action and renewables projects in recent years.

"If we can build strong resilient communities, it won't matter who comes into power in the next election."

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