The Climate Commission's first report sets out the clear scientific case that Australia must move swiftly to build a zero carbon economy well before 2050, the Australian Greens said today.

The report should be a wake up call to those in the opposition, the business community and the media arguing for weak climate action. It should also lead the government to substantially lift its target of 60% cuts by 2050 to bring it into line with the current science.

"The science is clear - whatever we do now needs to put Australia on the path towards zero emissions as fast as possible," Australian Greens Deputy Leader, Senator Christine Milne, said

"We now need to have the public conversation about how to redesign our economy, our cities and our homes around zero carbon renewable energy and transport as quickly as possible.

"The time for coal is over and the time for gas is extremely limited. It is time to start building the industrial solar plants in Australia that are being built in Europe and America, time to move to 100% renewable energy as fast as possible.

"As Professor Steffen said today, we have to make sure that we do not lock in any more fossil fuel investment this decade or we make life incredibly difficult for our children.

"With the vision of building a zero emissions economy in mind, we can design a package that includes not only a price on pollution but also measures to build big solar plants, roll out public transport and energy efficiency and protect our forests.

"The Climate Commission report makes the point that protecting our magnificent forest carbon stores is vital, and not just as offsets to allow us to keep polluting from the rest of our economy.

"Professor Steffen made it clear that, if you rely on offsets such as forest protection or soil carbon and don't actually change investment from fossil fuels to renewable energy, you won't tackle the climate crisis.

"We have a big job ahead of us, but we also have a big opportunity to do them right this time."