#116: Five things to do today if you’re, like, into climate action
On learning new trains of thought
Mōrena, and happy Tuesday!
Good news: an updated poll says Kiwi are learning how to fight climate change, although there’s still a way to go. This is a great shift from last year, when we talked about a poll that showed that NZers don’t yet know how to fight climate change.
When quizzed on which actions would have the most impact on cutting greenhouse gas emissions, Kiwis rallied behind recycling as making the biggest difference. Recycling actually has an almost negligible climate impact, although it is good for the broader environment. [...]
The number one option, living car-free, was selected by just 12 percent of New Zealanders, compared with 18 percent in other countries. Kiwis were also less likely to identify refurbishing houses for energy efficiency (ranked sixth) or going vegan (seventh) as effective, compared with respondents overseas.
Growing numbers of us are identifying the highest impact actions, like moving to plant-based diets, flying less, and going car-free. The next step is to keep talking to our communities to push for system changes that will make all of these easier.
And you, our dear Climate Club action takers, know this! Being loud about the systems we need to change is what has the outsized impact. After the petition to continue the Te Huia trial, the hundreds of people turning up to public meetings and all the emails and letters you sent from last week, we’ve just heard the funding for the Te Huia trial has been renewed!!! 🎉 What a win!
What can we do today?
The most-clicked link from last week’s issue was the petition to continue the Te Huia trial, which is now set to continue!
🐝 If you have 5 minutes: Change one’s tune this June
Greenpeace Australia have found the ten largest buyers of beef in Australia are driving massive deforestation - Every two minutes, a large football field-sized area of forest and bushland is bulldozed in Australia) which in turn drives climate change.
Action: Email the top 10 beef buying corporations to clean up their act (N.B. Signing this letter gives Greenpeace Australia permission to email you - if you would like to avoid this, copy and paste the email text and send it through to the companies using the list provided on the page)Tāmaki Auckland: With the Fast-Track Bill moving through Parliament, it’s time to get on the streets and show the government that there is no support for stripping away our environmental protections. Get involved and let people know it’s coming up this June 8th.
Action: Print out posters to advertise the March in your school/work/sidewalk
🐇 If you have 15 minutes: Ship off the old block
Did you know that the things we ship and fly internationally (e.g. online shopping orders) aren’t accounted for in the carbon footprint of New Zealand? International flights and shipping are some of the most rapidly rising sources of global emissions, with growth often coming from activities like private jets or cruise ship journeys.
Action: Give feedback to the Climate Change Commission using our aviation & shipping targets submission guide from Emily
Tāmaki Auckland: We know that cycleways are good for businesses, despite some inaccurate reporting, and there are plenty of businesses that support biking and cycling, “Cycling Works” is a new platform that gives voice to those businesses, to collectively call for safer cycling infrastructure.
Action: Chat to your workplace, your fave cafe, suppliers, and other local businesses and ask to add your name to the Cycling Works campaign
Bonus action: Contribute to the campaign by signing up to be a volunteer
💃🏽 If you have 30 minutes or more: March in June
Online for 18-24 year olds, Wed May 29th, 4pm: We’ll be talking about the Climate Change Commission’s submissions a lot these weeks. You can learn more about it and share your thoughts at this specifically youth-focused kōrero.
Action: Join the workshop for rangatahi about the Commission’s consultationThe more people we get at this climate march, the better! There’s lots of ways you can get involved with the March for Nature before the day:
Tāmaki Makaurau/Auckland
Ōtautahi/Christchurch
Email us if you’d like to be connected with a group that is looking to organise a march in Christchurch
In case you missed it!
The independent Climate Change Commission wants feedback on emissions reduction targets for the government. We must strengthen our targets in light of new evidence that climate change is happening faster than we thought.
Action: Write a submission using this guide written by our epic Climate Club readers Rae and Lucy
Bonus action: Share UNICEF’s post about the submission on LinkedIn
That’s all for today, folks 👋🏽 Thanks for taking action. Enjoy this amazing story of a farmer who restored a 40 ha native wetland and was a finalist for Environmental Hero of the year.
See you next week,
Dhanya & the Climate Club team
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