Kia ora, and happy Twosday! We hope you’ve had a safe and relaxing weekend, and are appreciating the numerical beauty of 22/02/2022.
The most-clicked link from last week’s issue was the Global Plastic Treaty petition, which is now at over 5000 signatures 💪🏾
Continuing on from last week’s global theme, we have a few international actions for you today, focusing on climate justice for the world 🌎
What can you do today?
🐝 If you have 5 minutes: Speak up for Indigenous interests
Indigenous communities are often the first to face the effects of climate change, and all too often the last to be listened to. In Canada, First Nations across the country are struggling to get access to clean water. Despite the fact that many First Nations water systems are at high or medium risk of contamination, there has been a lack of government action.
Action: Call on Justin Trudeau to ensure everyone has access to drinking water
The Indigenous Maasai communities have looked after East Africa's land and wildlife for centuries. Successive governments have tried to kick them out of their homes under the guise of tourism and conservation, but previous attempts were stopped after international backlash. Now, the current head of state is again attempting to evict Maasai from their traditional land to make way for foreign trophy hunters and elite tourism.
Action: Sign here to stop the Masaai evictions from their ancestral landsCloser to home, mana whenua, tangata whenua, and Waiheke locals have been occupying the beach at Pūtiki Bay on Waiheke Island since March of last year. They are there to protect it from the construction of a 7.3 hectare marina by developers. The Moana as a whole has suffered continual environmental degradation, with the marine environment already seriously depleted and contaminated by developments such as marinas.
Action: Keep pushing our government to uphold Te Tiriti and Protect Pūtiki
💃🏽 If you have 30 minutes to 1 hour: (Under)mining the rules of the sea
You may not have heard of Nauru, one of our smallest neighbouring countries, but although they are a small island nation, they may be about to have a large impact on a huge area of seabed. The Nauru Government wants to mine the seabed near them, but this requires “The Mining Code” regulations to be finalised so they can apply for a permit. This is more than a Nauru-sized problem, as the regulations will apply for a massive area of seabed, and the results may set a dangerous precedent as a result of rushed regulations.
Action:
Read & share the New Yorker’s piece on this decision-making process
Write to Nanaia Mahuta, Minister of Foreign Affairs, and Local Government using this template as a starting point, to tell her that we must reject deep-sea mining.
ICYMI
In Case You Missed It is a section on actions that we’ve already talked about in previous newsletters which are still ongoing and we think are high-impact. It’s a chance to catch up on quick actions you may have missed out on.
🚂 Support the call for accessible, affordable public transport, and enjoy this small win for our public transport! KiwiRail have said they will include a question about a daily Auckland/Wellington passenger train in their market research questionnaire, an indication that public pressure is having an effect.
🥤 Keep the pressure on for an ambitious global treaty on plastics from world leaders.
That’s all for today, folks 👋🏽 Thanks for taking action. Enjoy this beautiful infographic about personal lifestyle actions for reducing emissions. We're particularly fond of the last idea!
See you next week,
Dhanya, Emily, and Jenny from the Climate Club
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