Climate change addressed

The president of a Shepparton environmental group ‘Slap Tomorrow’ has spoken up about climate change following the recent release of a United Nations climate change report.

Shepparton's John Pettigrew urges the community

 to consider their everyday decisions in the hope that 

as a region we can build a brighter future.

John Pettigrew said after the report found the current levels of global heating were increasing the risks of water scarcity, soil erosion, vegetation loss, fire damage, coastal degradation, permafrost thawing and declines in crop fields, he felt it should be a “wake-up call” for all.

He said having seen the effects for some years, now was the time for individuals to take responsibility for their actions and consider the future when making everyday choices.

“We’re all making decisions that have the potential to impact the environment every day - whether you drive your car down to the corner shop or you walk to the corner shop - these are critical decisions.”

Mr Pettigrew said it all came down to living healthier, more planet-friendly lives and working to reduce greenhouse gas emissions as much as possible.

“The issue of climate change needs to be considered. It’s as simple as that.”

He said while the use of a motor vehicle was an obvious contributing factor to the ongoing problem, people’s diets should also be assessed.

He said meat consumption contributed to the rising issue significantly.

“There is no doubt that a diet containing less meat is a healthier diet -  it’s better for our health but it’s better for the environment as well.”

Having had a strong focus on the issue of climate change for more than a decade, Mr Pettigrew said his mission was to inform people of the reality of climate change.

And he has done just that through the environmental group for about seven years, but Mr Pettigrew said with little of the population paying attention to the issue, he did not like the look of the future.

“Unless we can all make some big changes, the future doesn’t look too flash for my grandkids.”

Story by Laura Briggs from The Shepparton News - “Climate change addressed.”