What
Faith leaders of many faiths dressed in religious clothes will hand out yard signs to passing members of the public in central Brisbane that read ‘Climate Action Now’ and ‘Solar Saves Nuclear Costs’. They will do this in front of the giant banner that reads ‘No one left behind - good jobs in clean energy’.
Where
In front of St John’s Cathedral on 373 Ann Street, Brisbane CBD.
Who
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Dean Peter Catt
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ARRCC supporters
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Leaders from various faith traditions
When
Tuesday April 22 from 8.30 to 9.30am
Contact
Tim Brunero 0405 285 547 & Very Reverend Dr Peter Catt, Dean of St John's Anglican Cathedral 0404 052 494
More info:
RELIGIOUS LEADERS & FAITHFUL ISSUE CLIMATE SOS AS PRE-POLL STARTS
Christian and Muslim leaders as well asd faithful from many traditions are giving passers-by outside St John’s Cathedral yard signs calling for stronger climate action today as pre-poll voting gets underway.
The faith leaders are asking people to vote for the climate at this election.
The signs read “Solar saves, nuclear costs”, “No more coal & gas” and simply “Climate Action Now”.
This is the second public action in front of the cathedral about the climate and the energy transition.
In September they put up a seven-metre banner that read “No one left behind - good jobs in clean energy”.
The banner is also back up today.
The Dean of the Cathedral, the Very Reverend Dr Peter Catt, said, “Back in September we came together as people of many faiths and publicly raised our concerns about the climate by putting up a giant banner. Now, on the first day of voting, the banner is back up and we are giving out signs for people to put up at home as a way of asking people in Brisbane to vote for both climate action and a transition to renewable energy.”
“We know that if the next Parliament doesn’t act more boldly we will only see more cyclones, droughts and heatwaves.”
“We need leaders who unequivocally recognise the reality of climate change and its effect on Queensland.”
“Tackling climate change is nothing if not a race against time. Solar and wind are already being rolled out now. Nuclear would take until at least the mid-2030s and very likely longer. We don’t have that kind of time.”
“It’s also clear that we can’t leave any behind in the transition to clean energy. We need serious and meaningful policies in place that will make sure that there are decent jobs for the people and communities that currently rely on coal.”
“This is both the first day of voting and also Earth Day. It is a time when we all need to reflect on just what we are choosing for ourselves and our children when we vote,” Dr Catt said.
Leaders from several religious traditions including the President of the Uniting Church in Australia, Reverend Charissa Suli, and the Anglican Archbishop of Brisbane, the Most Reverend Jeremy Greaves, have also this morning put out a joint video message encouraging Australians to vote on the climate issue.
The leaders urge people to back renewables over nuclear, saying “Experts agree that for Australia nuclear energy is the most expensive form of energy by far - hundreds of billions of taxpayer dollars - in large part to deal with the safety issues. Nuclear would not help prevent climate change either, because we would need to keep burning coal and gas while we wait decades for nuclear power stations to be built.”
Around the country there are more than 200 places of worship with banners calling for greater climate action and 86 that have been handing out climate-themed signs for people to put up in front of their homes.
All of these actions have been coordinated by the Australian Religious Response to Climate Change (ARRCC).
Visual opportunities
Religious people including the Dean of St John’s cathedral in religious attire handing out yellow and black climate action signs to members of the public.
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Dr Daud Batchelor, Muslim Theologian, Adjunct Fellow with The International Institute of Advanced Islamic Studies (IAIS) Malaysia
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Bishop Sarah Plowman
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Father Peter Moore
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The Very Reverend Dr Peter Catt, Dean of St John’s Cathedral
Seven by four metre banner hanging on the front of the cathedral saying “No one left behind - good jobs in clean energy”.
Photos
On Tuesday photos will be made available here from around 9am.
Media enquiries
Tim Brunero
0405 2985 547
