Issue #24: Lobbying for climate
On lobbying, big and small
Kia ora, and happy Tuesday!
We 💚 all the feedback from you folks. Here’s one of our favourite comments:
“I’ve never been able to sustain involvement in climate action until I started receiving your emails.”
We’re thrilled it's helpful! Here’s the link if you missed it last week. We’d love to hear from subscribers old and new on how you’ve been finding Climate Club as we enter our next 6 months of operation.
The most-clicked link from last week was the MBIE insulation standards submission, and the biggest campaign win was the Auckland Climate Action Targeted Rate (CATR) passing with flying colours 🌈
In the campaign for the CATR, we learnt that strong lobby groups like the Auckland Ratepayers’ Union among others are alive and well. We have seen this in other campaigns too, like the Zero Carbon Act, and even any time a cycle lane is put in. Industry and fossil fuel lobbies are alive and kicking in New Zealand. It explains why politicians are walking such a delicate line between action and inaction.
There are some unions and alliances fighting for climate justice but this shows we need to be more vocal across all layers of society. This quote always comes to mind:
“Never doubt that a small group of thoughtful, committed citizens can change the world; indeed, it's the only thing that ever has.” - Margaret Mead
So what can you do today?
🐝 If you have 5 minutes: Get more feet on the street
A shiny new campaign to fully pedestrianise Queen Street has caught our eye this week. We can have cities that are sustainable, people-friendly, and vibrant - it’s a good time for our biggest city to get the ball rolling.
Action: Sign the petition to pedestrianise Queen Street in AucklandThere’s a proposal for industrial farms and thousands of cattle right on the shores of Te Waihora/Lake Ellesmere. Feedlots allow for increased production from more animals in smaller spaces, the exact kind of intensive farming which can have devastating effects on our climate.
Action: Oppose more intensive dairying
🐇 If you have 15 minutes: This is not a drill!
The Environmental Protection Agency has an open consent from Australian oil & gas company Beach Energy to start new offshore drilling in Taranaki.
Action: Refuse permission for Beach Energy to drill in Taranaki (due 21 July)
💃🏽 If you have 30 minutes or more: Vent at events
Haven’t had enough lightning this week? Here’s some more for you - in the form of our first ever lightning talk!
Tomorrow from 7pm - 7:30pm, climate expert Nina Ives will be talking about NZ’s COVID response through a climate lens. 20 min talk + 10 mins for questions on Zoom, feel free to bring your dinner.
Action: Come along tomorrow to our first ever lightning talk
Wellington: In the wake of the new NZ SeaRise project report, the Climate Change Coastal Coalition will host a meeting for Wellingtonians to hear directly from the authors, and from Climate Change Minister James Shaw. This kōrero will be the first steps in our push for coastal adaptation and mitigation in Wellington.
Action: Come along on Wednesday 29 June or share with a Wellingtonian friend
That’s all for today, folks 👋🏽 Thanks for taking action. Enjoy this photo of our team with James Shaw at the Sustainability Expo at Parliament last week! And hello to new subscribers from the expo :)
See you next week,
Dhanya, Emily, and Jenny from the Climate Club