Scientist Professor Ove Hoegh-Guldberg and artist Pamela Griffith shared their commitment to protecting the Great Barrier Reef at a recent BradfieldCanDoBetter webinar organised by Janine Kitson, Bradfield Independent candidate. Professor Ove Hoegh-Guldberg is a leading Australian authority on the Great Barrier Reef and has helped build the international consensus on keeping global temperatures at 1.5°C. Pamela Griffith is an accomplished Australian artist who is represented in art collections around the world. Both share an association with the federal seat of Bradfield located in northern Sydney from Chatswood to Asquith. Ove Hoegh-Guldberg grew up and went to school in the electorate, whilst Pamela Griffith has held art exhibitions there. Janine Kitson, former Ku-ring-gai Councillor and Bradfield Independent candidate, said: "Ove Hoegh-Guldberg shared the latest ocean and climate science that stressed the urgency to reach net zero emissions by 2030. Without rapid decarbonisation the Great Barrier Reef, a World Heritage site, remains in danger from mass coral bleaching events caused by warming ocean temperatures. Pamela Griffith also shared her exquisite artwork on why the Great Barrier Reef is too beautiful to lose."
Ian Dunlop, another climate expert from the Bradfield electorate, urged all political leaders and aspirants to take the deteriorating condition of the Great Barrier Reef seriously, and said: “Ove’s presentation demonstrates clearly the underlying downward trend in the quality of the Reef, whatever short-term improvements may occur. We need leaders who address the fundamental cause - climate change - rather than fiddling around with the symptoms and insisting that the Reef is not in danger, as the government is doing.”
When Janine Kitson was asked in the Q&A session what she would do if elected as the MP for Bradfield, she said: "I will support legislation to divert taxpayer funded subsidies from the fossil fuel industry to renewable energy. If we want our children to grow up to see the Great Barrier Reef we must take urgent action on climate change."
Janine Kitson's next BradfieldCanDoBetter webinar will tackle another federal campaign issue - safeguarding the ABC - with respected journalist Kerry O'Brien on 1 February, 2022 6-7pm.
Bookings can be made via www.bradfieldcandobetter.org Contact: Janine Kitson 0428 860 623 janine.kitson@bradfieldcandobetter.org |
