In an opinion piece published in today's Canberra Times, the former Wallabies captain and long-standing environmental activist has labelled his new political rival, ACT Liberal senator Zed Seselja, as "out of touch" and accused him of ignoring the environmental and economic threats posed by climate change.

Expecting it would become a 2022 election issue, Mr Pocock said he was proud of his 2014 protest action against a northern NSW coal mine, which led to his arrest with local farmer Rick Laird. The controversial mine in the Leard State Forest still went ahead.

"I believe an antidote to the anxiety and concern so many of us feel about our future is getting involved in whatever way we can to create the future we want," the aspirant politician writes.

"That's one of the reasons I decided to run for the Senate at the upcoming federal election."

The eight-year-old, well-publicised action was immediately seized upon by Senator Seselja, whose seat is most at risk in the ACT's Senate race from a prominent mix of Greens and independent candidates.

"There's no doubt he was a brilliant footballer, but from what we know of David Pocock's policies, he is at the Extinction Rebellion end of the Greens," the Liberal senator said.

"He brings a radical-Green style of politics to the Senate race, and is perhaps best known politically for being arrested after his Extinction Rebellion-style stunt of chaining himself to a bulldozer."

Mr Pocock was expecting his environmental action would come back if he was to run for politics.

"Friends warned me that my decision at Leard State Forest almost eight years ago would be used against me. They were right," he wrote.

"Within 24 hours of announcing my candidacy, the attempts to discredit me began. I was labelled a radical - an extreme activist."

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But, he is contesting that notion, saying, "in 2022, climate action is hardly a radical idea".

"Politics should be a contest of ideas. I'm not concerned if people want to bring up my past, or point out where they think I've made wrong choices. We should answer for the choices we make," Mr Pocock writes.

"But the accusations about being radical for being committed to climate action show how out of touch some of our politicians are with the people they represent."

Mr Pocock says the vast majority of Canberrans want the federal government to do more to address climate change. And he warns Australia could lose out, both environmentally and economically, if it doesn't.

"Major firms like Deloitte Access Economics tell us we are at a turning point: the decisions we make right now could add $680 billion and over 250,000 jobs to the economy by 2070," Mr Pocock writes.

"But if we don't pursue climate action, they predict we'll lose $3.4 trillion and over 880,000 jobs.

"Climate action is no longer a cost; it's an opportunity we can't afford to miss."

In response, Senator Seselja has doubled down on his "radical Green" attack on Mr Pocock, while acknowledging that climate change action was important.

"The problem with the extreme Green David Pocock approach is that it is about killing jobs and industries and imposing higher electricity prices," he told The Canberra Times.

"This radical and destructive approach is in direct contrast to our governments' approach of investing in technology, positioning Australia as a renewable energy powerhouse, and is delivering for our environment and the economy. Chaining yourself to a bulldozer can't deliver these outcomes.

"Action on climate change is important and under our government Australia is reducing emissions much faster than New Zealand, Canada, the United States, Japan, and most developed nations."

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