For West Australians, that reality included hotter temperatures, less rainfall, more severe droughts and bushfire seasons, more marine and atmospheric heatwaves, rising sea levels and loss of unique and treasured animal and plant species.

The second, they said, was a clear economic rationale for a rapid transition to a low-carbon economy – WA has a competitive advantage for globally in-demand resources such as lithium and renewable hydrogen, sun, wind and waves, and landscapes which could be used as carbon sinks.

The third factor was that WA would only achieve a less-warm future if it acted in concert with all major economies, they wrote. WA could do this by legislating to implement the Paris Agreement targets of keeping global warming under 2C, preferably to no more than 1.5C.

The letter said other nations and regions that have already legislated for net zero carbon by 2050 or earlier included Norway (2016), Sweden (2017), Victoria (2017), California (2018), and France, the United Kingdom, Scotland and New Zealand (all 2019).

“Good faith, fairness, and a shared sense of responsibility and commitment are at the core of the Paris Agreement’s reliance on the ambition of governments to achieve emission reductions,” they wrote.

“Currently, however, Western Australia practices its own carbon exceptionalism, in which the state’s greenhouse gas emissions have continued to increase significantly since 2005, while emissions in New South Wales, Victoria, Queensland, and South Australia have fallen.”

By implementing a Zero Carbon Act, WA would support collective national and international action and support a transition to a productive economy, to benefit present and future West Australians.

The letter was inspired by the recent Climate Change Symposium hosted by four WA universities, at which Curtin Law School’s Dr Hugh Finn’s presentation about the legal frameworks for a state climate policy outlined how a Zero Carbon Act could be achieved.

The signatories to the letter have urged others who support a Zero Carbon Act to make a submission to the state government’s climate change policy consultation process, which closes next week.

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Environment Minister Stephen Dawson also on Friday urged the public to have their say on the issues paper for the policy that will guide how the state will achieve its “aspiration” for net zero emissions by 2050.

Mr Dawson said the commitment sent a clear signal for new investment, created certainty for business and positioned WA well for a global low-carbon transition.

“Hearing from the community on this important issue is vital to getting this policy right," he said.

“Climate change poses both challenges and opportunities for our State and we want to make sure we can maximise our adaptability and work towards the jobs of the future.”