Hon Bill Marmion BE MBA MLA — WA children’s book will have worldwide reach

A book created by Western Australian primary school students will help children around the world better understand greenhouse gases and the process of carbon capture and storage.

Mines and Petroleum Minister Bill Marmion today congratulated the young authors at St Michael’s Catholic Primary School in the south-west town of Brunswick Junction, as he launched ‘A Day in the Life of a Carbon Atom – Starring: Adom’.

The book was released concurrently at this week’s 2014 National Carbon Capture and Storage Conference in Sydney, where copies were presented to delegates.

Mr Marmion said he was particularly proud to see the talents of WA students on display at an international event.

“To take a concept as complex as this, and create such an entertaining and, most importantly, easy-to-understand book is a big achievement,” he said.

“It’s exciting that children across Australia and in Asia, North America, Europe and the Middle East will soon have the opportunity to read the book and the online content created by this talented young group of WA students.”

The book was written and illustrated by 21 year 6 and year 7 students. Negotiations are now under way for its distribution to schools participating in the Global Carbon Capture and Storage Institute’s education program.

The Minister launched CarbonKids in WA in August last year, with $200,000 in State Government sponsorship over two years, to assist the CSIRO expand science education into regional areas.

It dovetails with the South West Hub project, where scientists are studying the capacity for underground carbon capture and storage in WA.