On United Nations World Earth Day, April 22, the Cathedral hosted a public forum ‘Fighting the Climate Emergency’, with leading experts and thinkers from the University of Melbourne, Australian Catholic University as well as Indigenous and Civic Leaders.
The forum focused on what can we do to mitigate the climate emergency. Each panellist spoke to that question from their own context, before discussing questions submitted by the audience.
During the event, a seven-metre sculpture of the earth, Gaia, by UK based artist Luke Jerram, was officially launched. Gaia, a globally acclaimed touring artwork was created from images by NASA of the Earth’s surface and is suspended in the Cathedral giving visitors an incredible opportunity to view Earth as it might be seen from space, floating in three dimensions. This is the first time Gaia will be displayed in an indoor setting in Australia.
You can view the various excerpts from the panel event below or watch it in full here.
The Revd Aunty Janet Turpie-Johnstone
The Revd Aunty Janet Turpie-Johnstone is an Aboriginal Elder whose homelands are in Guditjtamara Country, and a Lecturer in Aboriginal Art and Culture at the Faculty of Education Australian Catholic University, researching human relationships to Country.
Dr Catherine Brown OAM
Dr Catherine Brown OAM is the CEO of the Lord Mayor’s Foundation and Deputy Chair, The Australian Environmental Grantmakers Network and a participant in the Climate Funders Initiative.
Prof David Karoly
Professor David Karoly, FAA is an internationally recognised expert on climate change and Senior Fellow Melbourne Climate Futures, School of Geography, Earth and Atmospheric Sciences, The University of Melbourne
Sally Capp
Sally Capp was elected Lord Mayor of Melbourne in May 2018 and is the first woman to be directly elected as Lord Mayor. Sally was also the first woman to hold the post of Agent-General for Victoria in the UK, Europe and Israel. She has also served as the CEO for the Committee for Melbourne and COO of the Victorian Chamber of Commerce and Industry.
Dr Jeff Sparrow
Dr Jeff Sparrow is a Wakeley award winning journalist, Lecturer in Journalism at the School of Culture and Communications, The University of Melbourne, and author of Crimes Against Nature: Capitalism and Global Heating (Scribe, 2021).
Panel Discussion
Following each panellist’s presentation, they were invited to ask each other questions as well as respond to questions submitted by attendees.