Mōrena folks. This week we again saw the threat of extreme weather events become a reality in Tāmaki Makaurau and beyond.
Some days it’s simple to think of climate change as a distant future possibility, but with the current Auckland flooding, following the Nelson and the West Coast floods last year, this has now ended. We grieve with those impacted, especially those who were already struggling with the cost of living. For a list of grassroots support and ways you can volunteer or donate, see this list.
Despite this, many people (including some of our local representatives) are still not acting in line with climate science. This is the impact of climate change at just 1.1C. We know what we can and must do, to mitigate further warming, and to minimise harm when extreme events do happen with increasing frequency and severity.
One way that has helped get local representatives on board with climate action has been to share your concerns about climate change at public local council forums. Here’s a story from Pierre, an Extinction Rebellion volunteer based in the Queenstown Lakes region, about how consistently showing up and reminding decision makers about the climate crisis made a significant impact on their decision making in recent years – and how you can do it too.
What can you do today?
The most-clicked link from last week’s issue was again the petition to reject Sealord’s bottom trawling plans. They got to over 6000 signatures!
🐝 If you have 5 minutes: EU get what EU pay for
Did you know that fossil fuel lobbyists are a significant voice at the decision making table for the EU? They lobby elected European politicians to support climate-wrecking coal and gas in favour of renewable energy.
Action: Sign the petition to demand that our politicians kick the fossil fuel industry out of politics, starting with the immediate removal of their lobbying badges!Global Davos action with Greta: ExxonMobile files have revealed they knew how much burning fossil fuels would increase global warming in the ‘70s, and yet they continued to emit and deny the link in public. The findings show that they “knowingly misled” the public and governments, including spreading doubt about climate science.
Action: Join the global movement to send oil & gas CEOs a Cease & Desist notice.
🐇 If you have 15 minutes: Live for tomorrow
Take part in the Global Consultation on Priorities for a Livable Future, convened by Citizens' Climate International to inform national and international policy processes ahead of the COP28 climate negotiations.
Action: Take this international survey
💃🏽 If you have 30 minutes or more: Be a local focal point
Pierre Marasti is part of a group that quickly made our Queenstown Lakes Council declare a Climate and Ecological Emergency. They did this by simply showing up at council meetings to remind councillors of the urgency of the climate emergency, which has had remarkable results. We need this happening everywhere in Aotearoa, and you could be involved!
Action: Have a read, and contact Pierre to get started (you don’t have to be a pro at public speaking!)Auckland, today 6:30pm: We’ve had a lot of media around the Auckland floods, but much less on the clear cause - climate change.
Action: Join the Flooding, Climate Crisis, Action! event with Extinction Rebellion and Restore Passenger RailTauranga, February 7th 5:30pm: The Urbanerds meetups connect people in communities who care about passenger rail and sustainable transport, and they’re starting a branch in Tauranga!
Action: Join the meetup hosted by the campaigners of ‘Save Our Trains & The Future is Rail
That’s all for today, folks 👋🏽 Thanks for taking action. Enjoy this short essay by author and activist Dr Genevieve Guenther on The Practice of Anger in a Warming World. We especially like this quote:
See you next week,
Dhanya, Emily, and Jenny from the Climate Club