De-Weaponizing Climate Policy

After over 20 years of government inaction on climate policy over one third of Australian voters rejected the two major political parties in the 2022 federal election. This resulted in the election of seven environmentally progressive, economically conservative "Teal" independents to the lower house of parliament. Former ABC (Aust) correspondent Zoe Daniel is one of these seven MPs.

Now that Zoe is sitting on the cross-bench of the Australian House of Representatives how does she go about creating constructive dialogue and effective climate policy in an environment where there's an entrenched history of weaponizing climate policy for political gain?

I recently caught up with Zoe to hear more about her work, you can listen to a short summary followed by our full conversation here.?

Zoe has taken a pragmatic and broad approach that prioritises creating the social license for government to implement change and bringing the community along. She expects massive economic and social changes that people will need to adjust to a compressed period and for this to be successful broad community engagement and transparency are critical. This includes managing the expectation of her constituents who are pushing from much more rapid change and ensuring there is just transition for communities who have traditionally relied on the sunset industries.?

The continuing weaponization of energy, water, and food globally is a big concern. It becomes very challenging when these become bargain chips to undermine the existing global order. Drawing on her 15 years reporting from Africa, Asia, and North America she understands the cascading effects of climate induced food insecurity, water insecurity and natural disasters on political stability and displacement. Zoe also highlights the increasingly delicate balance required to keep vital communications channels open with our geopolitical rivals and adversaries.?

As a foreign correspondent she frequently witnessed the suffering and destruction climate change has on the most vulnerable societies and natural ecosystems. Her time as a journalist also exposed her to the frequently divisive nature of the media, where creating conflict in the name of good story is often favoured over promoting constructive conversations.?