Mōrena, and happy Tuesday!
We are into the last few days of COP27 - Melanie from The Turnstone has an excellent overview of the news so far. Climate financing around loss & damage (high-emitting countries paying for the damage they have done) is on the agenda, but many developed countries including NZ and USA are blocking clear timelines for action. We’ve committed $20m, but it’s a drop in the bucket of what’s needed and it’s coming out of a pot of money that was already allocated to climate action. What’s more, it’s not set aside for Pacific nations in particular who are at the forefront of climate-induced damages.
In other news, hot on the heels of the consultation on pricing agricultural emissions that we talked about in last week’s issue (plug: closes this Friday! submission guide here), Fonterra is considering measuring and reporting on Scope 3 emissions (emissions that a company is indirectly responsible for, like from the transportation of dairy products). This is the result of pressure from international customers, who are making it clear that if Fonterra doesn’t seem to be on track to meet their targets, they will look elsewhere.
Important changes happen when pressure comes from all sides. Whether it’s pressuring insurance companies and banks to starve oil pipelines of funding, or the progressive ruling out of fossil fuel investment by banks, policy and consumer pressure can make diamonds.
Here’s another key industry that we can encourage to be better: yesterday, a groundbreaking report showed that the energy generator/retailers (“gentailers”) like Meridian, Mercury, Genesis, and Contact Energy are driving up energy prices and prolonging reliance fossil fuels while reaping record profits, by neglecting to invest in much-needed renewables (see coverage on 1 News, RNZ, Stuff, NZ Herald). The report has clear recommendations for the government (who own a majority of these companies) such as a windfall tax on massive profits, but it needs public support for it to be considered. We are the public - let’s use our collective power to push for it!
What can you do today?
The most-clicked link from last week’s issue was the call to make fertiliser companies pay directly for their emissions.
🐝 If you have 5 minutes: Let’s get fare prices
In April 2022, the government halved public transport fares in response to rising cost of living. But in January, the government is ending this scheme, forcing some people to break their public transport habits and return to private vehicle usage, which causes congestion, emissions, and drives demand for petrol. We need to be encouraging mode shift towards active and public transport as fast as we can, not rolling back the progress!
Action: Sign the petition to keep half price fares for goodThe G20 summit is currently happening in Bali. G20 countries account for 80% of GHG emissions, and Citizens’ Climate International have written a letter recommending four ways to fund the transition, including windfall taxes and putting a price on carbon.
Action: Use this quick form to send a letter to the #G20 leaders asking them to #FollowTheMoney
🐇 If you have 15 minutes: Generating awareness
The new “Generating Scarcity” report finds that energy gentailers are reaping profits, paying out billions to shareholders, while relying on coal to drive up prices during a cost of living crisis. The report will be handed to the Minister of Energy Megan Woods, but it needs popular support for MPs to take it on board.
Action: Email the report to your local MP. There are 2 and 5 min actions on the doc too!
💃🏽 If you have 30 minutes or more: Take a railcar to a seminar
NZ ethical investment charity Mindful Money has assembled representatives who have been at COP27 to share ways that real progress can be made. They will be covering climate justice for the Pacific and frontline communities, rules on international emissions trading, and financing for the climate transition.
Action: Register here for the online 12:15pm lunchtime session this Wednesday 16 November.Express your interest in participating in a workshop on the future of land transport & who pays for it. These will be facilitated discussions in representative groups of 20-30, where you’ll be sharing your views on what’s important to you in an accessible, low-carbon future. Workshops are being planned for February and March next year, in North and South Auckland, Hamilton and possibly Christchurch. Participants will be randomly selected and compensated for their time.
Action: Register for a workshop on transport in Feb-March next year
In case you missed it!
Submit on the consultation to price agricultural emissions in a way that will meet our climate targets, and support farmers to take action to protect our future and those of our future generations.
Action: Oxfam submission guide on Agriculture emissionsThere can be no climate justice without protecting human rights. This year’s COP27 is held in Egypt, where it is not safe to protest or to critique the authoritarian government, and tens of thousands of environmental and human rights activists are held in political prisons.
Action: Sign the petition for open civic spaces and public discussion in Egypt for COP27
Wins!
Young voters continue to turn up in high numbers for elections in this week’s US midterms, stemming Trump’s forecasted “Red Wave” into a red trickle. How might we ensure that young people vote in our general elections next year?
Remember that really messed up Energy Charter Treaty we mentioned in Issue 43? Germany is the latest country to announcement that they’re leaving it behind 🚮
That’s all for today, folks 👋🏽 Thanks for taking action. Enjoy this data visualisation about how attitudes towards climate change has shifted in the US over the last decade.
See you next week,
Dhanya, Emily, and Jenny from the Climate Club