Climate Change – by Junior Mayor Ryan White City of Mandurah

Junior Mayor Ryan White from the City of Mandurah site the scene (and bar) with an inspiring speech at the opening of Coast to coast 2014 in Mandurah. Take the time to digest his key messages – if only he was the one making decisions about coastal management… 

Good morning.

The Earth is our legacy. If the Earth’s existence up to now was scaled into one day, humankind arrives just 17 seconds before midnight – the end of the day. And in that time – a few thousand years in reality, we have done more damage to this world than the four and a half billion years the Earth has been around. It is now up to us to minimise the damage done to our planet.

In the words of Christine Gregoire, “It is up to us to live up to the legacy that was left for us, and to leave a legacy that is worthy of our children and of future generations.”

One way to ensure we have a bright, sustainable future is to look after our precious coastlines. The Coast to Coast conference was initially established in 1994 and every two years, individuals and businesses, experts and scientists, get together at this forum to develop more ecological practices.

Mandurah is well known for its coastal and marine animals, however, our marine environments are facing major problems, such as over-population, littering and climate change.

Coastal areas are the homes to diverse ranges of species. I have seen marine animals and birds caught up in rubbish. I have seen how carelessly we pollute this planet every day. Simply disposing of rubbish correctly and being careful when using chemicals can reduce these problems. It is our responsibility to clean up and maintain our amazing coastlines.

I know we can all make a difference to stop things like this from happening.

Let’s all work together to ensure we look after this legacy for our children and our grandchildren. I know you will gain inspiration over the course of this conference and I hope you will lead by example. Let’s all make the next few seconds of Earth’s existence better.

Thank you.