#155: Protests make me nervous
On finding joyful climate action
Mōrena, and happy Tuesday!
If you're anything like me, prone to social exhaustion and wary of unfamiliar activities, then you might feel like you don't know what your place in the climate movement is. My skills don’t lie in organising, I’m not part of lots of climate activist groups, and I used to think that because I wasn't protesting my heart out every weekend, that I couldn't engage in the work of change that the climate crisis is imposing on us.
I always thought that ‘true’ activism just consisted of protest movements - think marching out in the street, shouting down a microphone and delivering passionate speeches at the doors of parliament. Don’t get me wrong here, protesting is incredibly important and utterly essential to social change (equally important is preserving our right to protest), but, as I've learned, it's far from the only thing we can do, in fact, as this climate action infographic from Future Earth shows, there are so many ways of engaging in climate action!
Joining Climate Club has meant that I could combine my skills and interests—in this case, writing—and put them towards important climate work, and enjoy it while I do it. Whatever kind of person you are, whether you’re an action taker and an organiser, an artist or writer, a strategist or leader, chatter, walker, listener, first aider, singer, gardener there are so many ways to get involved. Just as diversity is key to an ecosystem, it’s also essential for any good social movement!
What can we do today?
The most clicked link last week was the action to Call on Winston Peters to commit to creating ocean sanctuaries.
🐝 5 minutes: Trial by climate
This week Extinction Rebellion’s ‘Aerial 7’ are on trial for their actions in 2022/3 in Te Whanganui a Tara Wellington, where they held up traffic demanding climate action. Across the world there has been a wave of legislation cracking down on protest—and climate protests especially. This sets a dangerous precedent, where citizens can be punished for enacting their right to protest.
Action: Donate to support the ‘Aerial 7’ while they’re on trial
🐇 15 minutes: Slow and steady gets there safe
By this Thursday: The Government is consulting on speed limits. We know that higher traffic speeds burn more fuel, producing emissions which damage our climate. They also increase the risk of crashes, add noise, don’t make financial sense, and don’t do much to save travel time. For safer, lower-impact roads, we want to keep speed limits as they are.
Action: Use Cycling Action Network’s submission guide to have your say by 13 March
💃🏽 30+ minutes: Cash for the community
He Pou a Rangi Climate Change Commission is seeking evidence for the next National Climate Change Risk Assessment. They’re specifically looking for high-quality and credible evidence – including mātauranga Māori – to help understand Aotearoa's climate risks, as well as actions to address these risks. This can include people's lived experience observing and adapting to the changing climate, but not views or opinions at this stage.
Action: Zoom in to this public webinar to learn more about this process, the Climate Commission’s work, and what kind of evidence they’re looking for.
Action: Have your say here before 31st March or share with friends who might have evidenceTāmaki Makaurau | Auckland: Part of a community group doing climate action? Applications for the Auckland Climate Grant’s Response Grants ($1,000–$15,000) are currently open! These are specifically aimed at growing and amplifying community climate action, particularly within under-served communities. Scroll to the bottom of the page for inspiration from past grant recipients!
Action: Apply for the Auckland Council Climate Action Response Grants before 31 March
Workshops
Did you know that Climate Club also runs climate science & climate action 101 workshops for workplaces, schools, local councils, and more? Learn more here, or check out these workshops coming up!
Pōneke | Wellington, 12 March, 10am-1pm, at two fifty seven on Willis St: Come along to one of our classic Climate Fresk workshops with Climate Club! Register here, free or $20 koha
Tāmaki Makaurau | Auckland, 12 April, 5:30pm-8:30pm, GridAKL: Participated in a Climate Fresk workshop and want to learn how to facilitate workshops yourself? We’re running training so you can run workshops yourself! Free, register here
Events
Online, 13 March, 10am-11am: In the business of climate action? Tune into Toitū Envirocare’s webinar ‘Climate Action Kōrero’ on national climate policy, global climate commitments, decarbonisation, and the impacts for businesses in 2025
Whangārei, 21-22 March: Join the Whangārei District Council in this 2-day Climate Action Tai Tokerau Conference. It’s free, register here!
In case you missed it!
Do you have a hot take on “What must we do – and do now – to ensure that future generations live well in Aotearoa New Zealand?” The deadline for Newsroom’s young writer’s essay competition has been extended to March 28th. Have your say on how we can facilitate a better world, and maybe even win $1,000 in prize money.
Did you know students are paying up to $50 for public transport fares just to get to school each week? Today, Free Fares launched a new petition against newly proposed “private share” targets for public transports, which would lead to significant fare hikes across the motu, even going from $2 to $8 in Christchurch per trip. Public transport is a key solution to reducing our transport emissions, and fairness in giving people options to get around. People can’t afford yet another price increase to their daily lives.
Action: Sign & share the Free Fares petition before 31 March 2025
Wins!
Ethical KiwiSaver funds Outperform All KiwiSaver funds - a good time to check whether your Kiwisaver funds are funding fossil fuel companies!
That’s all for today, folks 👋🏽 Thanks for taking action. Enjoy this quiz to find out your climate superpower – we’re all different, and we all have one!
See you next week,
Jodie & the Climate Club team
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Agree, we all need to stop and reflect on this post. Finding our own sweet spot on this venn diagram should be our continual mission. While I had seen this diagram before, it is always good to ask ourselves where are we on this, and what can we do improve to improve things.
Great post. Love that diagram! I’ve become convinced that, like an ecosystem, everything is so interwoven that virtually anything positive we do (e.g. environment, social, political, community, sustainable, economic, governance, artistic) is also going to support climate goals.