Environmental woes and disillusion with the major parties could see the Australian Greens score an upset in the marginal Northern Territory seat of Solomon in the coming election.

Environmental scientist Emma Young was announced on Wednesday as the Greens candidate for Solomon, which includes all of Darwin, in the hope that she may be the dark horse to secure the Greens' second-ever seat in the lower house.

"Like most top-enders I am deeply frustrated by the similarities between the two major parties, who seem to spend most of their time playing politics, rather than developing the best policies to make the Territory a truly great place to live," Dr Young said in a statement.

Dr Young, who will also focus on housing, renewable energy and indigenous disadvantage in her campaign, said she had not yet met with either of the major parties to discuss preferences.

She urged Greens voters to direct their preferences however they wanted.

In a Roy Morgan poll electorate profile released on Tuesday, 73 per cent of Solomon voters claimed to be environmentalists at heart.

Fully 18 per cent believed the environment was the biggest issue for the electorate.

Industrial spills and contamination, resulting in the closure of several beaches, have plagued Darwin Harbour in recent months.

Most Territorians believe the nuclear waste dump proposed for Muckaty Station, near Tennant Creek in the safe Labor seat of Lingiari, is being unfairly thrust upon the NT.

Country Liberal candidate Natasha Griggs has called on Dr Young to refrain from signing up to a preference deal with Labor.

She said Dr Young should send a message about Labor's plan for the nuclear waste dump, its alleged mismanagement of the Montara oil spill off the northwest coast, and its failure to establish an emissions trading scheme.

"The Greens are trying to have it both ways - on the one hand distancing themselves from the two major political parties and on the other throwing their support behind the Labor Party," Ms Griggs said.

Labor's Damian Hale, with the assistance of Greens preferences, won the Darwin-based seat at the 2007 election by fewer than 200 votes.

Mr Hale has spoken out against his party's policy in opposition to the nuclear waste dump.

A 0.2 per cent swing at the August 21 election would result in Solomon being returned to the Country Liberals, who held the seat from the time it was created in 2001 until 2007.

Australian Greens leader Bob Brown will visit Darwin next week for Dr Young's official campaign launch.

Michael Organ won the seat of Cunningham near Wollongong in NSW in 2002, becoming the first and only Australian Greens candidate elected to the federal lower house.

This election the Greens also have a chance of winning lower house seats from Labor in the electorates of Grayndler and Sydney in NSW and Melbourne in Victoria.