#130: Be the trojan horse you want to see in the world

On swaying political opinion and horsing around

Mōrena, and happy Tuesday!

Haere mai/welcome to our new readers who found us through the Spinoff’s Futureproof. We’re so glad you’re here 💚

One of the many perks and privileges of being involved in Climate Club is hearing from so many of you who care deeply about Papatūānuku. You’re writing to MPs, you’re starting bike trains, you’re thinking about community living and talking to your friends about how much better a sustainable future could be. 

On the flip side, it’s heart-breaking to hear how many of us feel alone in this. We're stressed, recycling, public-transport-loving islands in a sea of climate-unfriendly policies and infrastructure. Politicians and the general public (us!) systematically underestimate the support for climate policies, despite the fact that 66% of all New Zealanders stated that if the government will be failing us if it does not act now to combat climate change. 

That’s a problem because it means: 

1. Communities think climate action is less popular than it is. 

2. Politicians then think climate action is much less popular than it is. 

This is because people who support climate policies don’t usually talk about it much. It’s also not helped by the large amounts of money and effort  that the fossil fuel industry puts into making it seem like there is a large push back against climate policies. Now combine that with politicians who are thinking about donations and re-election, and desperate to stay popular…and it’s easy to see why climate policies could get pushed back. 

The good news is that this comes with an easy action point: we can all be talking about climate action more. It sounds a bit flippant, but you might be surprised at how much more people are drawn to climate action if their friends and whānau are talking about it. You might also be surprised by how many of your community feel the same way, and that perhaps we’re all a little less alone than we think.

Just making casual dinner conversation

What can we do today?

The most-clicked link from last week’s issue was the call to ban single-use plastic 💪 

🐝 5 minutes: If it ain’t broke…oh yeah actually it is

• It’s a relatively new thing that we are stuck being unable to fix products that break in our homes. Often the only choice we have is to buy a new product - but this doesn’t have to be the way, and our laws can actually help us get to a better place. Consumer NZ wants to put the pressure back on manufacturers to help them (and us) do better. 
  Action: Tell the government we want a repairability label 

• This week it was announced that the government is rolling back some of the most heinous parts of the fast track bill, but there’s still a long way to go to protect our forests and oceans.
  Action: Sign the open letter to show companies we won’t support the fast track bill

🐇 15 minutes: Hop on this train of thought

• Still thinking about last week’s news of the improvements to Auckland’s public transport? Ride that wave to gently ask your government representatives for more accessible, affordable public transport. We know that our transport emissions play a huge part of Aotearoa’s emissions. Even if you’re not a big public transport user, have a think about what would help you take more public transport.
  Action: Use this handy template from @climatechangebowl to write to your rep

💃🏽 30+ minutes: Fast track to nowhere flash

• We’ve had a great partial win with the Fast Track Bill, which shows the power of community push-back. It will now no longer be a small group of ministers who get the final say on projects and will instead go to a small group of decision-makers. However this group is still tied to narrow metrics that prioritise development over climate action, so there are a lot of actions around the Fast Track Bill this week!

  • Canterbury, September 10th, 7pm:  Meet at the Aldersgate Centre for a special public meeting on the fast-track bill. This is a chance to find out how the bill will affect nature in Canterbury and beyond, and how you can help stop the fast-track bill.

  • Online, September 4, 7pm: 350 are holding a webinar focused on communicating with the public. The webinar will include breakout rooms on how to write letters to your local paper, how to get your message heard on talk-back radio shows, how to engage people on social media, and more. Join the 350 team by registering today! 

• Action: Talk to someone about climate action (who you’ve never talked to about this before). We like this guide from The Workshop on talking about climate change, but can also recommend chatting about how you factor climate change into everyday life decisions. Talking about vacations? Explain why you’re thinking of a Aotearoa-based holiday this year. Talking about getting to work? Chat about how good public transport could be… the possibilities are endless, and each convo is a step towards us all feeling a little less alone.

Wins!

• Your submissions on the Fast Track Bill worked! The government announced they are backing down on a few key points we have campaigned on. The most notable of these is that Ministers will no longer have the final say on project approvals. 

• Good news! Australia’s biggest lender, Commonwealth Bank, has pledged to stop financing fossil fuel companies that don’t comply with Paris climate goals. This is huge news, and sends a clear message to oil and gas companies that a fossil fuel-ed future is short lived. If you bank with ANZ, NAB or Westpac - this is a great time to send them a message to ask them when they will match Commonwealth’s promises, and check what your investments are funding. 

• Australia is adopting our mandated climate disclosures regulation! 

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That’s all for today, folks 👋🏽 Thanks for taking action. Enjoy this lovely, moving poem about biking.

See you next week, 

Dhanya & the Climate Club team

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