Issue #28: Closing the action gap
When social events and climate action come together
Kia ora, and happy Tuesday!
The IAG-Ipsos Climate Change Poll has been collecting the attitudes of New Zealanders on climate change over the last five years, and this year’s results came out recently (results summary, detailed results). Check out the coverage by The Spinoff and Stuff, but the highlights that we found particularly interesting were:
There’s been a big increase in people who think the government should be most responsible for taking action on climate change, from 25% in 2018 to 48% in 2022. This is a great sign leading up to October’s local elections, where we have an opportunity to give local politicians the political mandate to pursue strong climate policies.
There is an “action gap” between the high numbers of people that see climate change as an important issue (78%), and the number of people taking individual action to combat it, which has fallen to 50% over the past 2 years. Let’s keep talking to friends and family to make it easier for people in our networks to take climate action in their day to day.
There aren’t many actions this week, but there are lots of cool events coming up, so check those out in the “Save the date” section below. These events are a great way to introduce friends and family to climate action - let’s close that action gap, one fun event at a time.
What can you do today?
The most-clicked link from last week’s issue was the Right to Repair petition which was delivered and presented to the Minister for the Environment on July 7th.
🐝 If you have 5 minutes: Transport us to a cooler future
The Greater Wellington Regional Council are calling for public submissions on their public transport fares. The Pōneke Collective for Public Transport Equity has a quick guide that advocates for inclusive, accessible fares for everyone across the region. Hold your councillors accountable to our future generations, the climate, and your wallet!
Action: Use this quick form to have a say on public transport in Greater WellingtonFollowing on from Forest & Bird’s petition on protecting stewardship land that we shared in Issue 26, Coal Action Network Aotearoa are honing in on the threat to the stewardship lands on the West Coast from future coal mines. We can not be considering new coal mines when we need to be doing everything possible to decarbonise.
Action: Add your voice to oppose coal lobbyists who want to reclassify this land for potential coal mine development.
Save the date
Online
Wed 13 July (tomorrow, 5:30pm): The 79th Annual Thomas Cawthron Memorial Lecture will have Professor Bronwyn Hayward (lead author on a IPCC special report) speaking on “Our children’s climate and how we can make a difference”. Watch the livestream here.
Wed 27 July: Our next Lightning Talks session is coming up! We'll hear from tech entrepreneur, Jamie Heather, on their work as co-founder of kiwi climate startup, Carbon Critical. Register here.
Wellington
Wed 13 July (tomorrow, 5:30pm): Go one step further from our 5-minute action and contribute your presence to this panel event on free public transport at Anvil House on Wakefield St.
Christchurch
Sat 23 July: The Brighton Observatory of Environment and Economics Trust is a climate charity that holds free sessions for communities to learn about climate change adaptation in their local environment. Their next event is a talk from experts at the Travis Wetland Nature Heritage Park. Register here.
Auckland
Mon 25 July: Gen Zero UoA are holding a Pacific Climate Justice Panel at Unleash Space at 6pm. Keep an eye out on their Facebook or Instagram page to see who the guest speakers are!
Hamilton
Thurs 27 July: Head to Lido Cinema for the screening of the film “Vai”, which maps the journey of Pasifika women across 7 countries. The evening is a fundraiser Te Pūmanawa o te Wāheke / Climate Action Hub, and will also include a panel discussion. Get tickets now.
In case you missed it!
Our local elections are coming up in October! It’s our chance to put pressure on politicians to make the urgent changes needed to face the climate crisis. If you’re already enrolled, you should have received mailing papers confirming your details. If not, take this chance to get enrolled.
✅ Vote Climate: Register here for updates on how to enrol before the cutoff on 12 August.
Wins
In Issue 25, we shared a petition to ban deep sea mining. Our Pacific neighbours Palau, Fiji and Samoa have now all announced support for a moratorium (a pause in activity), joining Tokelau and Chile in the call. This is a great chance for Aotearoa to take a stand.
Action: Support a global ban on deep sea mining (N.B. phone number is optional!)
That’s all for today, folks 👋🏽 Thanks for taking action. Enjoy this 15-minute video by Kurzgesagt on how we can solve climate change. It’s a great overview of where we’re at, acknowledges feelings of despair and hopelessness, and sheds light on a realistic way forward towards a healthy climate future.
See you next week,
Dhanya, Emily, and Jenny from the Climate Club