Canada and Australia are both democracies built on abundant resources, extraordinary biodiversity and world-class science, with prosperity built substantially on mining, oil and gas. We are major fossil fuel exporters running an economic model incompatible with a stable climate, and living the consequences through worsening bushfires, floods and drought.

As I prepare for the Climate Integrity Summit in Sydney, I am struck less by the distance between our countries than by how much we have in common. We face the same defining question: how do we move beyond fossil fuels without sacrificing prosperity or nature?

Our political systems differ, but Australians are asking the same questions Canadians are: young people wanting action to match promises, Indigenous communities wanting real recognition of their rights, scientists warning about tipping points, businesses recognising that tomorrow’s economy will reward innovation over dependence on yesterday’s technology.

The challenge facing our countries is not technological. It is governance.

Canada and Australia have focused on reducing emissions from fossil fuels while avoiding the harder conversation about reducing our dependence on them. That distinction matters. It determines whether we........

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