Queenslander To Head Greenpeace: Calls On Pm To Be A True Leader On Climate Change 1
            
            
                
                
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                Conservation - Environment Press Release
23rd November 2009, 03:47am -
                Views: 798            
            
                MEDIA RELEASE 
 
                     Queenslander to head Greenpeace: 
      Calls on PM to be a true leader on Climate Change 
 
 
Sydney, Monday 23 November 2009 - The new Chief Executive Officer of Greenpeace Australia 
Pacific, former Queensland health professional, Dr Linda Selvey, calls on Kevin Rudd to be a true 
leader when he heads to Copenhagen for crucial climate talks next month. 
 
"The best thing Kevin Rudd could do for Queensland and for Australia is to stop playing politics with 
climate change and commit to real action at home and in international negotiations," said Dr Linda 
Selvey. 
 
Dr Selvey took on the top job at Greenpeace because she wanted to be more active in tackling the 
world's most urgent problem - the looming climate change crisis. She held senior management 
positions in Queensland Health for the last 12 years, including Executive Director, Population Health 
Queensland. 
 
"It's heart-wrenching when you walk through tropical rainforest with tinder dry leaves, or visit towns 
that have been severely affected by drought, and then suffered floods," said Dr Selvey.  
 
"With record August temperatures this year and catastrophic fire warnings already this summer, we 
are facing the grim reality of a warming planet. Towns are losing their water supply, whilst millions of 
coastal homes are at risk from rising sea levels." 
 
"Coal is the number one driver of climate change so it seems quite reckless for the State and 
Federal Governments to preside over a doubling of Queensland's coal exports -when we know that 
the loss of the Great Barrier Reef alone will cost the state $37billion and end 60,000 jobs," said Dr 
Selvey. 
 
Instead of locking us into coal exports and coal power for decades, Anna Bligh and Kevin Rudd 
have an opportunity to shift us to a green, low carbon economy and create hundreds of thousands 
of new jobs."  
 
Dr Selvey says that it's up to us all to make sure that Kevin Rudd delivers on his election promises: 
 
"Kevin Rudd needs to hear from all of us that he must take the strongest possible position to 
Copenhagen." 
 
 
 
Dr Selvey's bio, Greenpeace Australia Pacific CEO 
http://www.greenpeace.org/australia/resources/reports/general/new-ceo-dr-linda-selvey-bio 
Profile story in The Age, 21/11/09 
http://www.theage.com.au/national/healthy-perspective-20091120-iqyx.html 
 
 
Contacts: 
Greenpeace Communications Manager, Carolin Wenzel   ph: 0417 668 957 
Greenpeace Media Officer, Zoe Porter   ph: 0409 048 260