Honk for hope: why we protested

Sallie Moffatt (pictured front, at right) was among a group northern Illawarra locals who met on Sea Cliff Bridge on Good Friday to promote Climate Action and support the Australian Conservation Foundation’s “Together We Can” campaign. Here, Sallie shares her motivation.

The creek which runs beside our house is usually a meandering, try-hard trickle but two weeks ago it turned into a deep, thundering, muddy torrent carrying boulders belting towards the culvert under the main road. The power and volume of the water coming off the escarpment was evident in the impact of landslides, debris, road damage and erosion across our region.

It would be wonderful to say that the east coast rain bombs of the past month are a “one-in-a-3500-year event”, as our deputy PM claimed, but these figures are based on historical records, when the earth’s temperature was more stable. Scientists now say we need to see these events as a new normal in a warming climate. The costs to repair, prevent and insure against damage to our homes and businesses will continue to accumulate.

Australia’s surface temperature, on average, has risen by 1.44ºC since records began and we urgently need leaders who can see what this means for all Australians.

This is why I was among a small group of 2515 locals, with different political associations, walking Sea Cliff Bridge on Good Friday morning, waving “Climate Action Now” signs to drivers.

We know our signs won’t stop the rain or coal trucks, but every honk, thumbs up and wave gives us hope that together we can make a difference.

So, if you see one of our signs in a shop or on a car, show your solidarity with a thumbs up and if you’d like to be involved, or order a non-partisan sign for your yard or house, get in touch at beyondcoalcoast.com.

The time to act is now: vote for a safe climate.