#94: Keeping the lights on forever!

What does great infrastructure have to do with climate change?

Mōrena, and happy Tuesday!

How often do you think about infrastructure? How sewers work for example, or the network of pylons and wires that bring you your electricity? Unless you’re an engineer, I reckon you only think about them when they don’t work (*cough* me)…am I right? But what would happen if we reframed how we see infrastructure, so it’s no longer just the boring grey buildings and processes that do the things we’d rather not think about, but the crucial systems that enable everything we do?

Engineer and professor Deb Chachra notes that we often say that money lets us do things, but actually it's our public infrastructure that allows us to do most things…. Think of how many infrastructure systems you use just to cook dinner, go to work, or even read this newsletter!

Across the world, infrastructure is under threat from neglect, profiteering, and environmental risk factors (e.g. climate change) – but a new era of renewables offers a chance to reform these systems to make them equitable, resilient, and sustainable.

From Live Cartoons at COP27

For pretty much all of human history we have created energy by burning things. For the first time ever thanks to massive leaps forward in renewables, the two need no longer be directly related. We can get energy from the plentiful resources around us: our wind, our sun. Infrastructure powered by renewables can look totally different to its fossil fuel predecessor. Renewables are cheaper, locally sourced and decentralised. What could a world of clean plentiful energy and strong resilient infrastructure systems look like?

We are on the cusp of moving to a totally new energy system. If we choose to, fossil fuels can be a blip in human history, something that helped us get to this next stage and we can move away from. If you’re looking for a local example of this, 350 Aotearoa have made a great documentary on community energy creation. What if this is our opportunity to make our infrastructure better than ever? And once we have epic infrastructure, what else is made possible?

What can we do today?

The most-clicked link from last week’s issue was 350’s petition to show the new government your support for community energy.

🐝 If you have 5 minutes: Did somebody say adapt?

• The Kaipara District Council is currently considering whether to continue with their Ruawai Climate Adaptation Pilot Programme. While they say that the budget would be better allocated to on-the-ground work, engaging with the local communities most impacted by climate change is crucial for developing solutions that work for everyone. Scrapping a pilot programme before it’s had a chance sets a bad precedence for community-based climate solutions.
  Action: Help a local council take action on climate change

• Free Fares NZ, who were behind the epic campaign for nationwide affordable public transport during Covid times, are starting a new campaign. In light of the new government who are looking to remove the current public transport discounts (effectively doubling their prices), they are asking for the current prices to be maintained.
  Action: Sign the new petition for affordable public transport

🐇 If you have 15 minutes: Canterbury at a crossroads

• The Canterbury Regional Policy Statement (RPS) is at its next stage of consultation: ranking people’s priorities in the 3 key areas of climate action, land use and biodiversity, water and coast. From the initial consultation (summary section of PDF link here), there were strongly opposing views on the importance of environmental regulation, the influence of local iwi, sustainable housing & transport. This next ranking process nudges us to consider the trade-offs of the available options.
  Action: Weigh in on how Canterbury should approach climate action and land/water management. All questions are optional.

  Short option: Just give feedback on climate action here, particularly “Reducing our emissions” in question 1.

💃🏽 If you have 30 minutes or more: How will they fare?

• Te Whanganui-a-tara/Wellington, 9am this Wednesday: A bonus action after you’ve signed the petition above - join the Free Fares team for their petition launch! Meet people who are also interested in accessible, low-pollution transport, and show your support in person.

  Action: Join the launch of their new petition at Wellington Railway Station

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That’s all for today, folks 👋🏽 Thanks for taking action. Enjoy this beautiful website full of infographics and resources to learn about climate action.

See you next week, 

Cathy & the Climate Club team

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