In 2050, I’ll be 46. These climate targets abandon my generation

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Environmental protection

Opinion

In 2050, I’ll be 46. These climate targets abandon my generation

Anjali Sharma Climate activist September 19, 2025 — 7.30pm

I went to my first climate protest when I was 14 years old, in 2019. I didn’t bring my own sign, but somewhere along the way someone had handed me a sign decorated with bright red lettering that read “it’s getting HOT in here.” Holding it high, I joined my friends as we marched a circuit around Melbourne city and we screamed until our voices were hoarse.

The enemy then was the old guard, the Coalition. Which had infamously joked about the threat Pacific Island nations faced from rising sea levels , the party that had considered abandoning Australia’s renewable energy target.

The old guard’s response to us march