Melanie Fuller is a busy Canberra-based rehab case manager, with a young family in tow and a household budget that only stretches so far.

Yet, she is one of a growing number of Australians who have found that making environmentally-conscious lifestyle choices is reaping financial and health benefits.

Ms Fuller moved with her family into a typical suburban home about three years ago, and they decided some energy-efficient modifications had to be made.

The family installed a skylight and changed all their lighting to LED lighting -- both significantly reducing their electricity bill -- as well as improving their insulation and heating efficiency.

There are more expensive switches the family doesn't have the means to make yet -- upgrading their older-style solar panels, installing double glazing, making the full switch to electric energy, or installing a home battery.

"So I guess just making as much change as we can within our budget."

She said doing something about climate change at a local level was a practical act, not just an issue for world leaders, scientists, or environmentalists to deal with.

A chance to improve health and wellbeing

Cardiologist Arnagretta Hunter agreed that the impacts of climate change posed a threat to health in the community.

She is the new chair of the ACT Climate Council and began her career as a doctor in Wagga Wagga, NSW.

About five years ago, she realised that the advice she was giving some of her patients contradicted what she commonly would advise.

During the heatwave in early 2019, she found herself switching from telling patients to exercise, to warning them to be careful.

"There were three weeks there at the beginning of January 2019 where I said to people, 'Please don't exercise, it's too hot'. And I thought to myself, 'How often will this happen?' Then came the Black Summer of 2020," she said.

Almost half the Australian population was exposed to hazardous air pollution during Black Summer.

"We had bushfire smoke all across our city," she said.

"We know it increased morbidity and mortality."

Dr Hunter said it was the perfect example of a clear link between the environment and human health.

But Dr Hunter said people should not feel discouraged worrying about the changes they cannot make.

Instead, she said, there were positive improvements within people's grasp -- changes that can be made at an individual level.

"We've got to start somewhere," she said.

"When we improve insulation ... and when we take gas out of cooking environments, for example, we can decrease hospitalisation rates.

"People's access to work and capacity to work because they're not getting sick as often... and the kids are able to go to school more reliably and less likely to stay home with an infection.

'Living small' for big benefits

Jess Oakeshott lives with her husband and young child in a compact ground-floor apartment, with a small vegetable garden in her outdoor courtyard.

Her reasons for wanting to 'live small', as she calls it, have been long-held but came into sharp focus when she became a mum.

"And other kids in our community and other people who haven't necessarily contributed to climate change globally, but will be feeling the brunt of the impacts."

Choosing to live centrally in Canberra means they have reduced their transport costs.

The family also minimises spending on new items where they can. But there are some modifications they would like to make to their apartment that are not currently feasible, such as installing solar or electric hot water.

She has been "really amazed" with the financial and lifestyle benefits of her living choices.

"Between my husband and I, we work one full-time income, and we're still saving plenty," she said.

"When the time comes that our family does outgrow this space, we'll be in a fine financial position to move to something that suits our needs."

'Extraordinary opportunities'

On a larger scale in Australia, efforts to hit net zero by 2050 are again being disputed.

The question of Australia's 2035 emissions reduction target also hovers in the air, and the difficulties of installing the networks and power plants for renewable energy at scale are being felt across the country.

Dr Hunter acknowledged these challenges, but she said everyone could do something on a single or household level, and that continuing to mitigate climate change, as well as adapt to it, was crucial.

"Paying attention to some of this stuff can be hard; it can be stressful.