MEDIA ALERT                                                                                                          18 October 2007

250,000 to Walk Against Warming before election

Sydney’s Domain will be the stage for the biggest public rally of the federal election campaign with more than 80,000 people set to Walk Against Warming from there on November 11 to call on both major political parties for action to prevent climate change raising temperatures more than 2 degrees Celcius.

Walks are expected to take place in more than 50 cities and towns across Australia, with walks already locked in for the marginal NSW seats of Parramatta, Dobell, Page and Eden-Monaro. Pre-registrations for Walk Against Warming are already showing participation is likely to more than double from 2006 when 40,000 marched in Sydney and 100,000 took part nationally.

Walk organisers, the Nature Conservation Council today launched Walk Against Warming with the support of The Climate Institute, GetUp!, the CFMEU mining union and 125 community and environment groups across NSW.

“This election is about either taking climate control or causing climate chaos,” Nature Conservation Council executive director Cate Faehrmann said. “A 2-degree change in temperature is the point of no return. Australian and leading scientists around the world agree that the worst impacts of climate change will happen if temperatures rise higher than 2-degrees.”

Ms Faehrmann said a short and a long term target to reduce Australia’s greenhouse gas emissions, together with ratifying the Kyoto Protocol would put the country on track to avoid the worst impacts of climate change.

Executive Director of GetUp!, Brett Solomon said their 220,000 members would help make the Walk the biggest climate change rally in Australia to date.

“Australians are acutely aware of how serious a threat climate change poses for the country’s future and they know that the 2011 election will be too late to make the difference that is possible if action is taken now.”

Nine-year-old Jack Simmons, the star of The Climate Institute’s $2.5 million climate change advertising campaign, said he wants a safe and healthy future and asked for politicians to think of young Australians when making announcements on climate change.

“I think me and my friends will see more storms and bushfires than the grown ups who are making the decisions now are. I’m going to go on the Walk Against Warming, and I’ll do everything I can to get people to think about climate change this election, because the only thing I can’t do is vote. “

Media Enquiries:      Tim Fitzsimmons on 0423 375 522.

To get involved in Walk Against Warming or to find out more about why Australia needs to take action to avert dangerous climate change visit www.walkagainstwarming.org

Walk Against Warming is powered by COzero GreenPower.

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