James BowenandWesley Morgan

Opinion | Australia needs greater climate focus in foreign policy to remain credible partner in Asia-Pacific

Amid global power shifts and risks of conflicts, Australia needs to refocus on climate issues to to remain a credible partner in Asia

Under the Labor government, Australia’s political and financial climate commitments have risen but Australians want more foreign policy ambition on the climate front

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Under the Labor government, Australia’s political and financial climate commitments have risen but Australians want more foreign policy ambition on the climate front. Photo: Reuters

James BowenandWesley Morgan

Published: 4:00am, 26 Apr 2023Updated: 4:44am, 26 Apr 2023

Last week, Foreign Minister Penny Wong laid out the strategic challenges facing Australia in a major speech.

Wong described great power competition involving China, America and Russia. She warned of the risk of conflict in our region as China expands its sphere of influence. And she defended the Aukus nuclear submarine deal with the United States and Britain.

But these are traditional challenges: nation against nation. Australia needs a similar declaration of the catastrophic security implications of climate change.

While Wong did mention climate change, it was secondary, set in the context of regional outreach.

As the climate crisis worsens, we must do more. Climate change is a threat. Maybe even the threat. We need to use every tool we have to tackle it – including our diplomats.

Australia is a big fish in a big, sparsely populated pond. Our neighbours in the Pacific see sea-level rise and ocean acidification as existential threats. For island nations, this is the big one – well above geostrategic competition.

To Wong’s credit, she understands this.