Issue #31: In the neighbourhood
On making climate action a norm in your community
Mōrena, and happy Tuesday!
Some good local climate news: the Climate Change Commission released their first advice report on the Emissions Trading Scheme (ETS), which controls how expensive it is to pollute. This follows on from the submission we shared in Issue 16 and oral submissions to CCC on their advice from this community 💖. It was their boldest advice to date, clearly stating that the ETS is not working to reduce emissions enough, and needs to be strengthened. It’s great to see the commission acknowledging this and showing more urgency in their independent advice to the government. If you’d like to know more, zoom in to their Q&A session at lunchtime today!
Last Wednesday was our second ever lightning talk! Jamie Heather from Carbon Critical spoke about donating to effective climate charities via the Net Zero Fund, and illustrated how different types of forestry will play a part in our road to net zero by 2050 using an interactive dashboard. Here are the key takeaways and recording :)
We’ve had some new members join our community 🤗 Shout out to WellinGreen and Carbon News for sharing us with their communities. Welcome!
What can you do today?
The most-clicked link from last week’s issue was Gen Zero’s petition for TVNZ to refuse sponsorship from Mobil or other fossil fuel companies.
🐝 If you have 5 minutes: Improve how we move
Transport makes up a large chunk of our greenhouse gas emissions in New Zealand. A way to reduce this is to decarbonise transport in Tāmaki Makaurau transport. A coalition of climate activist groups in Tāmaki Makaurau have crafted a beautiful open letter we are excited to share with you.
Action: Call on key decision makers to decarbonise transport by 2030
🐇 If you have 15 minutes: Join the energy generation generation
350 Aotearoa have launched a new campaign for homegrown energy. One awesome way to transition is to share the energy generated within a community, enabling everyone to benefit off renewable energy installations.
Action: Sign the petition, or print & gather signatures, to advocate for energy projects in your community:
Ōtepoti / Dunedin online petition + printable petition
Pōneke / Wellington online petition + printable petition
Te Papaioea / Palmerston North online petition + printable petition
Tāmaki Makaurau / Auckland online petition + printable petition
Action: Watch this 1 min explainer on the campaign, then fill out this 5 min survey on public perceptions of renewable energy to better inform their campaign.
💃🏽 If you have 30 minutes or more: 🎶Money, money, money 🎶
Moving our KiwiSaver and investments out of funds that invest in fossil fuels could be the most effective action you take. Kiwi charity Mindful Money provides free workplace seminars on ethical investment, which can fit neatly into a lunchtime slot.
Action: Invite Mindful Money to give a talk on ethical investment at your workplace by contacting info@mindfulmoney.nzWellington: Fridays for Future have been holding ongoing protests outside of the Fonterra office at Midland Park, urging them to share any plans for a sustainable transition away from greenhouse gases.
Action: BYO lunch and join the vigil from 12:30 to 1:30 every Friday (the link is for June but the protests are still going!)
In case you missed it!
Local elections are in October, but in the meantime, there’s a review going on to reform local democracy from its current 1980s-esque state. They’ve made a super easy, informative, and fun survey to hear about what’s important to you when it comes to local communities (first shared in Issue 17).
If you’re familiar with Wellington: Last week we suggested emailing your thoughts on the Golden Mile redesign. Now there’s another way: this fun interactive map! Submissions close at 10pm Sunday 14 August, so take a look and imagine what the Golden Mile could look like with walking, cycling, and buses prioritised over carparks and private vehicles!
Save the date
Auckland: The Auckland Climate Festival is coming up in October. There’ll be events throughout the whole month on all kinds of topics - something for everyone! Sign up to their mailing list for updates, or host an event yourself. You don’t have to be an expert to hold space for climate action, and the more diverse the events, the better we can reach everyone where they are on their climate action journey.
That’s all for today, folks 👋🏽 Thanks for taking action. Enjoy this forest soundmap which lets you dip in and out of forest soundscapes around the world 🌲
See you next week,
Dhanya, Emily, and Jenny from the Climate Club