Issue #60: Hundreds and thousands of people taking action
On seeing beyond headlines to the change happening on the ground
Mōrena, and happy Tuesday!
This week in climate, Labour announced budget cuts including scrapping several climate policies (boo). Also, the IPCC’s sixth assessment report (AR6) is coming out – this article explains the report as if it were a movie trailer. Sometimes every week feels like a big week for climate!
Reading just the big headlines on climate change can feel hard, but what’s actually happening on the ground are growing wins from people all around the world and a growing wave of climate action. We are constantly making a difference, but it is hard to see this from just the headlines.
For example, here are some wins, thanks to the hundreds and thousands of Kiwis like you doing their bit to champion climate action in their companies, councils, households, and personal lives:
⚡ Aotearoa reached 94.7% renewable electricity last quarter! Powerful!
🚴 Way back in Issue #41, we shared a submission asking for bikes to be included in the fringe benefits tax exemption. Thanks to you all and the hundreds who submitted on this consultation, plus hard work from Julie Anne Genter, this is now included in a bill that’s going through Parliament!
❎ Advertising authorities are becoming ever more aware of greenwashing. Most recently, the UK’s ASA banned a Lufthansa ad that was projecting the airline as green and sustainable, despite their lack of a comprehensive plan to deal with their heavy carbon emissions. Over in Ireland, activists have sparked an investigation by the Advertising Standards Authority of Ireland on energy companies falsely claiming to be 100% renewable. Follow Fossil Ad Ban and Ban Fossil Fuel Ads if you’re interested in this kaupapa!
🦄 In Tāmaki, our Climate Action 101 workshops are going super well! Big thank you to AUSA for their support in helping rangatahi take their first steps into climate action. If you’re around Auckland on Thursday, feel free to come to our next event. It’s open to everyone, just chuck us an email to RSVP.
What can we do today?
The most-clicked link from last week’s issue was the call for a new Ministry of Green Works. They’re just 300 signatures away from 2,000!
🐝 If you have 5 minutes: Will-ow won’t we burn it?
Local New Zealander, Tanya Dewan, has written a community petition to ask the prime minister to talk President Biden out of consenting The Willow Project, a large new oil reserve in Alaska. The project would generate almost 10 million tons of CO2 every year.
Action: Join 6,800 kiwis in petitioning the Willow ProjectRemember our favourite TLA (three letter acronym), the ETS (Emissions Trading Scheme)? Turns out the government actually gives out millions of dollars in free carbon credits to polluters, and is planning on giving more out to companies unless we make some noise about it.
Action: Sign the petition to stop new companies being eligible for free carbon credits
🐇 If you have 15 minutes: Betty bought a better budget
Due next Tuesday 28th March: Since last week, a group called Better Budget Auckland have released a comprehensive submission guide that proposes an alternative to the sweeping cuts to arts, community, and climate change activities that are being considered by Auckland Council.
Action: Use Better Budget’s guide or take a look at all the submission guides available from different groups
💃🏽 If you have 30 minutes or more: Et’s time for the ETS
If you’ve signed the ETS petition and are up for a further challenge, in collaboration with CANA, we’ve put together a submission guide for the open consultation on the bill.
Action: Write a full submission to the bill with this handy dandy submission guide
In case you missed it!
Ōtautahi/Christchurch: Many readers loved this fun 5-min survey on how Christchuch should develop their public transport going forward, including some exciting proposals for mass rapid transit, so we thought we’d share it again!
That’s all for today, folks 👋🏽 Thanks for taking action. Enjoy this collection of resources by climate action heavyweights Rebecca Solnit and Thelma Young Lutunatabua that “invites newcomers to the climate movement, as well as provide climate facts and encouragement for people who are already engaged but weary.”
See you next week,
Emily & the Climate Club team