'We are in for some really difficult times': Climate activists arrested

Scott Bell and Sally Staley entered Senator Helen Polley's office on Wednesday, June 5 and declined to leave until police were called.

They will face court on July 10.

Dr Bell said he and Mrs Staley preemptively decided to be arrested following an ignored letter addressed to Senator Helen Polley outlining their concerns about the climate crisis.

"I wrote the letter - we expressed our concerns about the climate emergency and what was happening globally," he Bell said.

"We outlined four possible actions we thought were relevant to take.

"We asked if she [Senator Polley] would be willing to enact those actions on our behalf, because she is our representative - she's a politician.

"It was something we wanted her to do, not on behalf of us but our community and our world - we didn't hear anything else."

Bob Brown Foundation campaign manager Jenny Webber said Senator Polley was "failing" her Tasmanian constituents by ignoring citizens who were trying to share their concerns with her.

"It's good to see community members like ER taking non-violent action for climate," Ms Weber said.

"We need more people like them, they will be seen as heroes by future generations."

Ms Webber said Labor and Liberal parties in Tasmania and Federal parliament are "deliberately contributing to the global heating and extinction crisis by logging native forests and approving new coal mines".

But Senator Helen Polley said the federal Labor Government was investing more into renewable energy than any previous government in Australia's history.

"The world is de-carbonising and Australia will benefit from this fact by leading the world and investing in the jobs of the future and a renewable future," Ms Polley said.

"It is good for the environment, good for jobs and even better economics."

Previously a medical practitioner, Dr Bell worked as a Surgeon Lieutenant Commander with the Royal Australian Navy and had a senior position with the Royal Australian College of Practitioners.

Since retiring Dr Bell said he became more involved with activism and followed his "moral compass".

Now in his seventies, he had no plans to stop fighting for the environment.

Dr Bell said he had been charged 19 times, and had multiple convictions - he enjoyed speaking to the Magistrates about the issues he was standing for.

He said he repaid his fines fortnightly and won't stop engaging in civil disobedience until the climate crisis is addressed accordingly.

"How long is it going to take until we get proper decisions made about the climate emergency," he said.

"I'll just have to keep going back."

"I have children and grandchildren, and a social responsibility ... for their future."

Dr Bell said even if all fossil fuel burning stopped now, there will be a "lag period" where emissions and temperatures would continue to rise.

"Consequences of ... burning fossil fuels will happen first, before things reach a stable point and temperatures start to drop," he said.

"We are going to exceed 1.5 degrees - some say two degrees.

"The consequences of that in terms of fire, flood, storms, rising temperatures, rising sea levels and all the damage that will occur, will be excessive."

Senator Polley said the federal government's policies and programs would also support it to meet its legislated emissions reduction targets of 43 per cent by 2030 and net zero by 2050.

"We are getting on with the job of delivering practical solutions to keep the lights on for households and businesses using the cheapest, cleanest form of power - reliable renewable energy," she said.