This blog is part of a UNA Howard writing series titled ‘Strengthening Our Commitment to the Sustainable Development Goals’.

The topic of extreme heat is more important now than ever, given the alarming rise in global temperatures, which is just one of many recent impacts of climate change. After the whole world watched parts of Australia go up in flames between 2019 and 2020, during a series of deadly wildfires collectively known as Black Summer, Australia experienced its quietest fire season in a decade between December 2020 and February 2021. This is good news given that 2019 marked the hottest and driest year recorded in Australia since 1900 –but things aren’t looking up quite yet in regard to extreme heat and wildfires. There is a stringing connection between rising global temperatures, critical carbon dioxide (CO2) production, high surface temperatures, and wildfires.

Although the Commonwealth of Australia is working to combat extreme and increasingly common high heat, scientists warn that previous ravaging bushfires are just a prelude of what nations can expect worldwide if global temperatures continue to rise to dangerous levels. As Australian bushfires increase CO2 in the atmosphere, they are in turn bringing the planet closer to 1.5ºC of global heating, leading us down a treacherous path toward a point of no return.

Here is what we know about climate resilience plans in Australia to date. Climate Action is one of Australia’s 17 Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs), and the country is playing a part in the global challenge to reduce greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions as party to the Paris Agreement. Under international climate agreements, Australia has two targets to reduce its GHG emissions: 5% below 2000 levels by 2020 (under the Kyoto Protocol) and 26-28% below 2005 levels by 2030 (under the Paris Agreement). Australia is expected to submit emissions reduction commitments known as Nationally Determined Contributions (NDCs) under the Paris Agreement. However, the Australian Climate Action Tracker shows Australia’s NDC is insufficient –not consistent with keeping global warming below 2°C, let alone the Paris Agreement’s 1.5°C goal.

As of today, Australia’s overall Climate Action trend score is stagnating –increasing at less than 50% of the required rate. Individual cities’ adaptation efforts, like Melbourne’s Urban Forestry Strategy, are simply not enough on their own. Government officials need to create and implement stronger mitigation policies as well. The underperformance of state leadership in this area comes at a global price.

While Australia slacks in effective climate change policy, it calls into question how much those bushfires actually impacted the response of national leadership. What more will it take to get the ball rolling, if not a country on fire? We are out of time to debate the topic any longer. Australia must be bold in its efforts to combat climate change and take climate action now if we want to see a cooler global future together. Its citizens, ecosystems, and the international community are all depending on Australian state leadership to learn and become better global citizens.

Read more from the UNA ‘Strengthening Our Commitment to the Sustainable Development Goals’ writing series.