#72: How doing nothing can save the planet
On the need for slow living and policies that support it
Mōrena, and happy Tuesday Climate clubbers!
Last weekend I did nothing, and it was blissful. Well, I did some reading, walked the dogs I’m dogsitting, made soup from local veggies, and watched junk movies that pictured copious amounts of fossil fuels being burnt up (side note: when are movies going to factor in Climate Change and stop glamourising billionaires and helicopters?).
Doing nothing and living slowly (when we can) is fantastic for the climate crisis.
What do I mean by living slowly? Well, our fast-paced lives are only possible with the help of thousands of times more energy than pre-Industrial Revolution. It’s odd to think about it this way, but in the global north almost everything in our lives comes with an energy price tag attached. Since the late 1800’s, an inhabitant of the planet uses, on average, over 30,000 kWh per year. Jean-Marc Jancovici did the maths and found out this equates to the equivalent of us each having the equivalent of 300 - 500 staff working for us!
There’s an assumption that we will always need more energy - what else will power the endless need for growth? But as all good physicists know: we exist in a closed system, energy can’t be created nor be destroyed, only transformed, e.g. from chemical to mechanical (or… light to mechanical!). We are always only temporarily borrowing energy from what's available in the environment. This means that even if by some miracle we can power most things with purely green energy sources, there is still a massive energy & material cost to build and maintain all that renewable infrastructure.
“Clean energy might help deal with emissions, but it does nothing to reverse deforestation, overfishing, soil depletion and mass extinction. A growth-obsessed economy powered by clean energy will still tip us into ecological disaster.”
― Jason Hickel, Less Is More: How Degrowth Will Save the World
We need to shift focus from our hyperproductivity focus, towards a more balanced, sustainable status quo. While there’s a lot we can do in our personal lives to live slower (which also increases your enjoyment of life), not everyone has this choice. This is where systemic change comes in that allows people the stability to not be constantly overworked, like some of the new tax policies that were announced yesterday!
Learn more about a system that respects our finite world:
A blog post on how a circular economy means using less
Less is more & Doughnut Economics are great primers on separating ourselves from GDP
2 tonnes of CO2 per person is the goal for all of us to aim for
In Sweden, the concept of hypermobility (travelling lots) is becoming less socially acceptable.
What can we do today?
The most-clicked link from last week’s issue was the call to Fix Our Food System, with at least 80 of you folks signing on to the petition 🥙
🐝 If you have 5 minutes: Keep talking about tomorrow and tomorrow and tomorrow
What do New Zealand and Scotland have in common? Cows! So much of Otago & Scotland’s income comes from farming, yet Dunedin Council’s Zero Carbon Plan currently has a methane-shaped hole in its policy.
Action: Urge DCC to support a plant-based treaty like Edinburgh.To address the climate crisis, we need to shine light on those who are profiting off fossil fuels. The Museum of Modern Art (MoMA) is planning to name their gallery after a key player in the fossil fuel industry, which gives him undue moral licence to continue with his work.
Action: Ask MoMA to stop naming their rooms after people funding the climate crisis
🐇 If you have 15 minutes: The price is not right
The Emissions Trading Scheme price has tanked recently, cutting funding and creating incentives to pollute. This is because the government ignored the CCC’s advice and made the price corridor too low (see our beginner’s guide to the ETS). They have a new round of consultations on the latest price settings - submit on it to tell the government we need more from the ETS.
Action: Submit on the latest ETS settings using CANA’s submission guide by 16th June
💃🏽 If you have 30 minutes or more: Give energy equity a green light
Especially when it gets cold, energy can be a lifesaver. Yet in a cost of living crisis, electricity retailers and generators are distributing billions of dollars to their shareholders each year. 350 are working on an online action to call against energy poverty.
Action: Join them online on Thursday 15th JuneAt the end of June, the Government plans to end the half-price public transport fares, which we've had for more than a year. There are some new discounts coming in for specific groups which is great, but lots of people who should have access to these discounts won't have access yet, and will experience the cost of public transport doubling at the start of July. This is the last thing we need in a cost of living crisis and climate crisis!
Action: Join us for a chill letter-writing session at 7pm on Wednesday 14th May
Wins!
The new Park Terrace cycle lane in Christchurch is here to stay after a contentious vote, thanks to folks like you emailing your councillors and showing up at the council meeting!
Partial win: Auckland Council passed Mayor Wayne Brown’s 2023 Budget, cutting $83.9m in services and selling 7% of Auckland International Airport. There’s no doubt that grassroots pressure took some of the cuts and a full sale of the Airport off the table. Eyes on this space as we continue to resist cuts and partial asset sales!
In Issue #24, we shared a submission opposing intensive dairying in Kaituna Valley. Environment Canterbury has recently announced recently that the Wongan Hills application to build feedlot barns in Kaituna Valley, Banks Peninsula has been withdrawn! This is thanks to public pressure in the submission process.
That’s all for today, folks 👋🏽 Thanks for taking action. Enjoy this picture of the gorgeous dogs Archie and Cleo that kept me company in the slow life ♥️
yes, absolutely! If only we could convince our employers to slow down, too.