Last summer was the hottest on record. Period. And it’s going to get hotter and hotter if we do nothing about it.

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Recently, I came back from a trip to Tasmania where we visited the beautiful Cradle Mountain national park. As we drove to the entrance, we passed acres and acres of bleached trees denuded of their foliage. I thought at first that it must have been the result of a fire. But no, these spectral forests were the result of successive seasons of drought. And in Tasmania of all places, the wettest state in Australia.

When I came back from the trip, I read that Scott Morrison said he would “burn for the Australian people every single day". An ironic choice of words considering we as a country are burning up every day – parched agricultural lands and our cities hot, dry, dusty and becoming, on some days,  borderline unlivable.

Our leaders continue to support coal when so many other countries have committed to phase it out and transition to renewable energy. Australia has the potential to be a leader in solar and wind power and yet we are letting opportunities pass us by.

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We can protect not only our environment but also our livelihoods and economy. Local communities can lower electricity bills by harnessing free energy from the wind and sun. We can act against the rising costs of extreme weather events.

It is our obligation to act now, along with the rest of the world. Talk to your MPs; open their minds.  Open the door to change and walk through it. We all deserve a better future.

Ava Woodard is a Sydney year 12 student.