WePlanet Australia is excited to have officially launched, bringing WePlanet’s mission of elevating humanity and liberating nature to Australia.
By Andrea Leong
Some of us found time to appreciate the breathtaking beauty of the Glasshouse Mountains, Queensland.
Brisbane-based environmentalists Tyrone D’lisle and Riani Perrin founded WePlanet Australia in 2022 and grew the organisation to a critical mass, recruiting conservationists and scientists who felt that the traditional environmental movement leaves some issues off the table.
Last week was our official launch. We burst onto the streets of Brisbane with a handful of pamphlets and a smile. Our catchcry, ‘Nuclear and GMOs to save the planet!’ raised a few eyebrows… followed by a few nods and smiles. We also joined a street action organised by Move Beyond Coal, protesting a major bank’s funding of fossil fuel expansion.
We were privileged to have a visit from Tea Törmänen, WePlanet’s International Coordinator. It was invaluable to have her with us to share her experience, not only around on-the-ground campaigning but also in front of Australian media, such as The Daily Telegraph, TV station Sky News Australia and radio station 3AW Melbourne. Interviews with newspapers, radio and television showed the irresistible power of a good story – Australians are intrigued by the Finnish experience of a Green party with a positive view on both nuclear power and genetic modification in agriculture. This is a fantastic success that we hope to replicate in Australia.
Our busy schedule also included outreach to politicians across the spectrum, including some from the Green Party, to trade ideas on how we can promote clean energy and land sparing to the Australian public.
Our catchcry, ‘Nuclear and GMOs to save the planet!’ raised a few eyebrows… followed by a few nods and smiles
WePlanet Australia’s advocacy will initially focus on nuclear energy and food production, building on WePlanet’s Rethink Nuclear and Reboot Food campaigns. These areas are highly relevant to Australia, a major exporter of both uranium and food.
Despite boasting a highly skilled nuclear workforce thanks to our nuclear medicine and research activities, nuclear energy has been banned in Australia since 1998. In a climate crisis and in the face of rising electricity prices, this is a political decision that needs to be reversed for the wellbeing of Australians and the planet.
Australia’s farmers and agricultural scientists have always embraced, and contributed to, innovation in the field (pun intended). Precision fermentation is a fledgling industry in Australia and there’s no better time to get out in front of the public in support of this technology, and campaign for support for this efficient protein production method.
We’re calling on all Australians who share our concerns and our optimism to join WePlanet Australia
It is critical that we approach our work in Australia in consultation with Indigenous knowledge holders, with respect for land management practices that have been developed over millennia. We also cannot ignore our colonial history – the drover and the grazier are established parts of our complicated reality.
We’re calling on all Australians who share our concerns and our optimism to join WePlanet Australia and build our movement. Find us at weplanet.au and become a WePlaneteer today!
Andrea Leong is the president of WePlanet Australia. She is microbiologist who has stood as a candidate in Australian elections on a pro-nuclear and pro-GMO platform.
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