Declaring a climate emergency would be an opportunity for Australia's parliament to "change course" on how it grapples with climate change, Labor argues.
Party climate change spokesman Mark Butler has launched a fresh bid to have a climate emergency declared, by introducing a motion to the lower house.
The motion comes after more than 370,000 Australians signed an e-petition calling for such a declaration.
The attempt comes after a similar Labor motion fell short in the Senate last week.
Mr Butler said reports from the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change make it clear the window is closing for the world to cap global warming at two degrees or ideally 1.5C.
That's the target laid out in the Paris Agreement, which Australia has signed up to and which the Morrison government says it will meet.
"We're frankly just not on track to meet those," Mr Butler told the lower house on Monday.
"We are failing our children, we are failing our grandchildren and generations beyond that."
The MP said declaring a climate emergency would be an opportunity to move in a different direction.
"This motion is a chance for the parliament to change course," he said.
"It is an attempt to have the parliament recognise the gravity of this challenge."
Energy Minister Angus Taylor said the government was getting on with the job of cutting emissions.
"It's about taking real action, not hollow symbolism and empty gestures," he told Sky News.
"It's not about words and motions, it's about actions and so that's what we're doing.
Nationals MP Pat Conaghan dismissed the climate emergency motion as "redundant".
He said the coalition has made clear its plan for tackling climate change, including its "climate solutions" fund which supports emissions-lowering projects.
Labor MP Ged Kearney said it's clear climate change is not a priority for everyone.
"If this government had a plan, a real plan, Australia could be leading the way to mitigate this climate emergency," she said.
Labor moved an identical motion in the Senate last week, which failed with a tied vote.
The day before, the Morrison government killed off a Greens motion to declare a climate emergency in the lower house.
Debate on Labor's latest motion has been adjourned.
Meanwhile, a Senate estimates hearing has heard no other country is planning to use so-called carryover credits to achieve emissions reduction goals under the Paris target.
More than half of Australia's 26 to 28 per cent reduction goal on 2005 levels by 2030 will be met by using credits from overachieving on the Kyoto target, which allowed the nation to increase emissions.
The international community is yet to decide if the carryover credits can be used but the government has included them in projections.
Australian Associated Press
