When it comes to the natural wonders of our planet, Australia is indeed a lucky country. From the Great Barrier Reef to the Tarkine, prehistoric Gondwana rainforests and our unique and beloved Australian critters such as koalas, quolls and quokkas, we are truly blessed.

I am fortunate to have spent the past few decades studying the many species that call Australia home, as well as working to protect them from the worsening impacts of climate change.

There have been many positive moments on this journey. But on balance, it’s clear from the declining health of our ecosystems and species and intensifying extreme weather events lashing Australia that we need to quickly step up efforts to address climate change and protect the environment.

This must begin with changing how environment ministers interpret the Environment Protection and Biodiversity Act (EPBC). For decades, environment ministers have ignored the impact of emissions and climate change on “matters of national environmental significance” when considering new coal and gas projects.

Climate change, which is driven by the burning of coal, oil and gas, has pushed far too many species to the brink and beyond, including the world’s first mammal to be declared officially extinct, the tiny Bramble Cay melomy. It harms the World Heritage-listed Great Barrier Reef and Gondwana forests, and it is supercharging devastating bushfires, floods, heatwaves and sea level rise.

If the destruction caused by these coal and gas “climate bombs” isn’t the most pressing matter of national environmental significance, I don’t know what is.

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Ignoring impacts of greenhouse gas emissions leaves the door open for dozens of new fossil fuel projects to get the go-ahead in Australia, at a time when the science could not be more clear: the world must get to net-zero emissions as fast as possible, and there can be no new coal and gas projects if we are going to keep global warming within the safe limits of well below two degrees. New coal and gas projects do not stack up environmentally and it takes a lot of mental gymnastics (and ignoring evidence) to claim they do.

We can and must turn this around now. The Environment Council of Central Queensland has lodged an application for Environment Minister Tanya Plibersek to reconsider 19 fossil fuel projects assessed by her predecessors, including mega-projects such as the Narrabri underground coal mine and Woodside’s North West Shelf Extension.