Nearly everyone is worried about climate change.

A ground-breaking global survey of 10,000 young people in 10 countries – including Australia – published in The Lancet in 2021 found that 84% were worried, with more than half feeling sad, anxious, angry, powerless, helpless, and guilty. Last year, the Climate Council reported three-quarters of Australians were worried about climate change. And right now, local association Good for the Gong is running a community survey that opens with the question: “The Illawarra is already experiencing more extreme weather and rising temperatures. What climate action do you think governments should focus on most?”

Today The Illawarra Flame joins publications around the world to mark the start of Joint Coverage Week — part of a broader, year-long effort called The 89 Percent Project, an initiative of the global journalism collaboration Covering Climate Now. It's based on evidence that between 80 and 89% of the world’s people want their governments to be doing more to address climate change and the idea that it is time to share their stories.

"This huge yet silent climate majority flips the script on narratives of climate change as a niche concern and shows that most governments are profoundly out of step with the public on this issue," the Covering Climate Now team says. "What’s more, according to the same studies, many in this silent climate majority don’t realise that they’re in the majority — that many of their neighbours and fellow citizens feel the same as they do — perhaps because they seldom see their views reflected in news coverage or on social media."

So who are the 89 Percent in the Illawarra?

Meet Phebe the conversation starter, Maddy the protestor and Tom the letter writer – three local residents each doing it their way.

On most sunny Saturdays, Phebe Fidge can be found basking on the rocks at Shellharbour after a morning dive. But ahead of the federal election, this 27-year-old marine ecologist gave up one weekend to volunteer for the Australian Conservation Foundation (ACF).

“Like many young Australians, I am also incredibly anxious about how climate change will affect my future,” Phebe said.

“With worried conversations about bleached corals and collector urchins on barren moonscapes that were once thriving kelp reefs, it is becoming hard to ignore the threat of climate change on the natural environments we enjoy.”

So Phebe and her friend Sinead Coghlan decided to go doorknocking for the ACF, taking to the streets of Shellharbour to talk to residents, asking them to consider signing the foundation’s pledge to vote for “climate and nature”, a four-point form letter that is then emailed to local federal candidates.

“We discussed national strategies for climate change mitigation, highlighting the benefits of upscaling renewable energy technologies like wind turbines and photovoltaic solar over expanding nuclear production. We asked people to vote mindfully, keeping the future of our environment front-of-mind."

Residents along Shellharbour Road gave them a warm welcome, Phebe said.

“We enjoyed many enthralling conversations and learned a lot from those who chose to engage with us. Other than gardening tips and migration stories, we learned that Whitlam is a diverse and progressive electorate with majority Labor voters.

“We met some resilient older Australians who have spent years working for change, which they are yet to see. We were in awe of the Silent Generation, currently aged 79 to 97 years old, many of whom were deeply invested in the environment and envisioned a better future for their children and grandchildren.”

Phebe found some conversations with fellow young people an eye-opener.

“There were a surprising number of young and Indigenous Australians who have not yet enrolled to vote with the Australian Electoral Commission,” she said. “This means important perspectives are missing from the ballot due to disinterest or fear of a $55 fine issued for a failure to vote.

“Millennials and Gen Xers felt powerless on the issues that mattered to them and were generally disinterested in political affairs. As a result, we noticed a lack of knowledge on climate change policies and strategies, including renewable energy technologies like offshore wind, which are highly relevant to our region.

“Across almost everyone we spoke to, there was a resounding distrust for authority, with many expressing that politicians act in their own self-interests and do not listen to the Australian people.”

On April 16, Phebe backed up her door-knocking with more face-to-face conversations at Wollongong’s Crown Street Mall when Yes2Renewables and Good for the Gong led a pop-up event to show how an empty shop could become a Local Energy Hub.

Along with RE-Alliance and Community Power Agency, the groups are calling for the Federal Government to fund Local Energy Hubs across Australia. The goal is to set up independent centres to provide trusted, accurate information for residents in renewable energy regions.

“Last year, I wrote a commentary piece in Renew Economy explaining how a systems perspective can unify thinking around offshore wind development,” Phebe said. “It is really challenging to sift through all of the rubbish on the internet to find reliable information.

“Local Energy Hubs would centralise unbiased, science-based information, improving its accessibility, and making it easier for communities to learn about projects proposed in their area.

“Community support is vital for getting renewable projects off the ground. There is a lesson to be learned from community resistance to the Illawarra offshore energy zone on how to conduct more meaningful engagement, and it starts with placing communities at the centre of the renewable energy transition through government-funded Local Energy Hubs.”

Cunningham MP Alison Byrnes supports the idea of engagement hubs, as does the Greens’ Cunningham candidate Jess Whittaker, who attended the event.

Phebe believes now is a critical time for climate action, that scientists have been sounding the alarm since the 70s yet governments around the world still make decisions based on short-term prosperity.

“We are the last generation that can do anything to limit global warming to less than 2°C by 2100 and avoid ecological catastrophe, but this requires rapid, progressive and disruptive changes,” she said.

“We cannot afford to disengage from national politics.

“Let’s talk about how we can create the future we want. This starts at home and in our networks, with dinner table conversations and exchanges over beer.”

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3 Ways with Climate Action: Meet Phebe the conversation starter, Maddy the protestor and Tom the letter writer – three local residents each doing it their way.

This story is part of The 89 Percent Project, an initiative of the global journalism collaboration Covering Climate Now.