Warringah MP Zali Steggall tabled the petition on Tuesday, which has more than 400,000 signatures.

The independent described it as a demonstration of grassroots action, calling on other members of parliament to consider the people behind the signatures.

"Each of those names is an individual with a story, a voice, a network and a vote," she said.

"We have a duty to the Australian people that goes beyond partisan allegiance. It is time for us all to be accountable; let's listen to the people and take meaningful action on climate change."

The petition was created by 23-year-old Sydneysider Noah Bell, who watched Ms Steggall from the public gallery.

"This petition is about a plurality of voices demanding the government accept the science and act accordingly," Ms Steggall said.

It calls for immediate action on climate change to minimise "catastrophic" human and environmental destruction.

The petition gained traction on social media during its four-week lifespan and attracted the most support for any petition to the House of Representatives.

Although it was tabled in parliament it does not compel a debate on the topic.

But a push for a climate emergency declaration has occurred in other ways.

Greens deputy leader Adam Bandt last week attempted to bring on such a vote in the lower house, which the government stopped in its tracks.

But Mr Bandt and other crossbenchers are hopeful government MPs will cross the floor to support a climate emergency statement.

The Greens' only lower house MP said he had spoken to a number of MPs who accept the science and he believes enough of Scott Morrison's government will be on the "right side of history".

"We are a few short years away from reaching the tipping point, so for all of those Liberal MPs who went to elections and said they accepted the science on climate change, well, now is their chance to prove it," Mr Bandt told reporters in Canberra.

A separate Labor motion declaring a climate emergency was debated in parliament on Monday before it was adjourned to a later date.

The same day, senior officials from the Department of the Environment and Energy conceded Australia was the only country planning to use so-called carry-over credits to achieve the Paris emissions reduction goals.

The bureaucrats were also unable to further explain details of the government's policy to lower emissions, with a large chunk of projected reductions only credited to "technology improvements and other sources of abatement".

Australian Associated Press