Issue #16: Mobilising everyone
On overshoot, Earth day and the ETS
Kia ora, today is NZ’s Overshoot Day.
Did you notice that we’re tied with Russia, and worse than Saudi Arabia?!
What’s more, Earth Day is this Friday! Plus, we’re finally a month away from the first, finalised Emissions Reduction Plan for New Zealand being published. We started Climate Club in the hopes of making it easier for everyone to take a stand for the earth and our future. The world doesn’t need 8 billion people freaking out about how to do climate action perfectly, the world needs 8 billion people doing one more small thing for climate action imperfectly.
The most clicked link from last week’s issue was the petition calling for responsible coverage of climate issues from RNZ. And oh look - on New Zealand’s overshoot day, Radio NZ has zero mentions of climate change.
Note: Thanks to one of our readers for pointing out a mistake in Issue 12 (now updated) - the ERP is due to be released on 31 May, not 10 May!
What can you do today?
🐝 If you have 5 minutes: Bottle up all the remaining fossil fuels
Great news - the government is considering setting up a beverage Container Return Scheme for Aotearoa (a.k.a. “bottle buy-back”). This is a chance for us to start on a circular economy that prioritises accountability over single-use plastics and other waste, plus wider community benefits.
Action: Add your name to this handy submission template to demand a circular economy!Burning coal, oil and gas is the single biggest source of carbon dioxide from human activity. 350 Aotearoa are handing over their petition (sponsored by Jan Logie) to ban new fossil fuel burners in schools, hospitals, and other buildings, on Earth Day this Friday the 22nd at Parliament. This petition is addressed to the entire House, not just the PM, so it has to be discussed by the House.
Action: Add your name to the 18k signatures calling for a ban on new fossil fuel burners in the state sector
🐇 If you have 15 minutes: Volunteer as tribute ✋
Thinking about joining a climate organisation, but not sure where to start? During this critical month, we want to help you find a place in one of the hundreds of climate organisations in Aotearoa and beyond. There’s something for any availability (1 to 10+ hours a week) and any skill set (emailing, tree planting, social media, illustration, research, data analysis, community engagement, the list goes on!). Every little bit helps, and every bit of help is needed right now.
Action: Hit reply or write to us at climateclubnz@substack.com with your weekly availability & skillset, and we’ll find you a match!
💃🏽 If you have 30 minutes or more: SET the ETS up for success
The Emissions Trading Scheme (ETS) is critical for NZ’s climate policy but it’s currently out of date and not set up to handle the severe challenges ahead. The government is proposing some changes to the ETS, but they are nowhere near good enough and may actually cause us to dump fridge gases on other countries and not account for emissions from biofuels. A team of experts have written a submission guide.
Action: Submit on the ETS changes with this guide before 28 April
In case you missed it 🌍
Earth Day is this Friday! There’s a bunch of exciting things happening, whether you’re in Tāmaki/Auckland, Pōneke/Wellington, or elsewhere (organise your own).
That’s all for today, folks 👋🏽 Thanks for taking action. If you’re planning to netflix & chill this upcoming long weekend, check out this list of climate-themed movies!
See you next week,
Dhanya, Emily, and Jenny from the Climate Club
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