Engineers Australia says today’s Federal Government announcement of a 2035 emissions reduction target of 62–70 per cent must be matched with investment in engineering skills and solutions.
The announcement comes in the same week the Government released Australia’s first National Climate Risk Assessment, which warns no community will be immune from compounding, cascading and concurrent climate risks such as extreme heat, coastal flooding and infrastructure disruption.
Engineers Australia CEO Romilly Madew AO said the scale of the climate challenge highlights the central role engineers must play.
“The engineering profession is facing climate scenarios more complex and urgent than ever before. From energy security to infrastructure renewal, resilient engineered solutions and innovations to tackle our climate reality are imperative,” Ms Madew said.
“Meeting these challenges demands more than technical know-how. It requires inclusive collaboration, diverse thinking and bold leadership.”
To strengthen the national engineering workforce and ensure Australia can meet its climate ambitions, Engineers Australia is calling on the Government to:
- launch a national engineering surge to boost capability
- set a target of 60,000 additional engineering graduates over the next decade
- create senior engineering roles in the Australian Public Service, including a National Chief Engineer
- respond in full to the 2024 Pathways to Diversity in STEM report.
“A skilled workforce and strong engineering capability are critical to addressing the energy transition, decarbonisation of our economy and the future of the planet,” Ms Madew said.
“Engineering has always been about solving problems. In 2025, the world’s climate challenges are universal, intergenerational and deeply interconnected.”
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