#131: What is enough?
On trusting that others are out there and doing their bit
Mōrena, and happy Tuesday!
Before we get into this week’s newsletter, we’d like to acknowledge the passing of Kiingi Tūheitia Pōtatau Te Wherowhero VII. Learn about the history of Kīngitanga and its role in indigenous activism here.
Welcome to our new writer, Jodie Jarvis! We’re really excited to have Jodie join our Climate Club newsletter team. They’re a PhD student in Ōtepoti Dunedin researching climate emotion, and will be joining us in writing these newsletters to you every week.
Kia ora, Climate Clubbers. I’m very excited to be here! I’m in the early stages of my PhD looking at climate emotion, and I’ve been thinking a lot recently about the work of climate change.
When I first started my masters, my research question was as broad as: how do we save the world from climate change? A question this large is not a particularly good or feasible research question. But I found it so hard to step away from the big picture, to narrow my focus down to something manageable. Nothing ever felt like it was enough.
Sound familiar? I've spent the past four years in climate research and I still find it difficult to let myself accept my limitations as an individual. It’s hard to accept the reality, that as noble as it feels, 'saving the world' from climate change isn't a realistic goal. If I've learnt anything over the past few years, it's that the work of climate action doesn't look like a superhero movie, with some powerful individual swooping in to save the day. It looks like a network of people, simply doing what they can. It looks like just doing your part, and believing that there are others out there who are doing theirs.
Take this lovely comment we received from one our readers, Alice, on last week’s issue:
I study transport, climate and health and I can say to anyone feeling a bit awkward about talking/acting on climate change - you have hundreds and probably thousands of scientists behind you on this epic collective journey to save the world! Not to mention every person already affected in their lives all round the globe 😀 to the people who care, go us!!
That's the point of Climate Club, and this newsletter, really: to make the work of the climate crisis accessible to all. We hope that these weekly newsletters are a reminder that we're not alone in this work, that we are part of a movement bigger than ourselves, with everyone doing what they can to make the world a little bit better.
What can we do today?
The most-clicked link from last week’s issue is the open letter to ask companies not to use the Fast Track Bill.
🐝 5 minutes: Don’t bank on it
Kiwibank is one of our only fossil-free banks, but looking at the non-public owned banks it’s clear that if it were privatised they may well reinvest in fossil fuels.
Action: Sign the petition to keep Kiwibank publicly-owned
🐇 15 minutes: Family that takes climate action together stays together
School Strikes for Climate is recruiting! Take a look at the link and see if this is for you, or pass it on to a mate you think would be interested.
For parents & caregivers: Alicia Hall from AcademyEx and also Parents for Climate Action is conducting a survey for her Masters on Change and Organisational Resilience. Currently there’s very limited research on the experiences of parenting in a climate crisis, especially when children will be disproportionately impacted by climate change. This research aims to understand more about what resources and support parents need to engage with and take action on climate change.
Action: Take & share the survey before it closes on 1 October
💃🏽 30+ minutes: Have an event-full week
It’s DOC’s Conservation Week! There are a fantastic range of events going on all week across the motu.
Action: Have a look and see if there’s something going on in your region!Letters to the editor have a much larger audience base than you might expect, so are an unexpectedly great way of getting the message out! Extinction Rebellion Tāmaki Makaurau are holding Letters to the Editor writing groups, especially targeting the NZ Herald and The Listener.
Action: Email auckland@extinctionrebellion.nz to join the writing groupPōneke/Wellington, this Friday 6:15pm: Climate Liberation Aotearoa is holding a talk welcoming newcomers to the climate movement and to discuss the role of civil disobedience in the climate movement
Action: RSVP at Climate Liberation Aotearoa
In case you missed it!
The Fast Track Bill is still tied to narrow metrics that prioritise development over climate action, with little public visibility. Shifting public opinion is key to shifting politicians, so let’s learn about how to communicate to the public this undemocratic bill.
Christchurch, September 10th, 7pm: Meet at the Aldersgate Centre in town 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, tomorrow 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.
That’s all for today, folks 👋🏽 Thanks for taking action. Enjoy Grist’s 2024 collection of climate fiction for their Imagine 2200 cli-fi contest!
See you next week,
Jodie & the Climate Club team
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Thanks again, climate club. The small group of activists to which I belong have more or less given up on both optimism and pessimism - we just do what we can because it seems the right thing to do. It's a moral imperative. And there's always the possibility that someday soon public sentiment might, perhaps, tip in favour of moderating consumption and doing the right thing by our kids.
What a great example of how things you say can spread ripples wider than you might think! 😀