Among people concerned with climate change, it’s almost a commonplace to acknowledge that our current growth-driven economy is fundamentally part of the problem and that infinite growth on a finite planet is a logical impossibility.

Structure

Our core committee consisting of Jeanette Fitzsimons, Joanna Santa Barbara, Pat Baskett, Torfrida Wainwright, Paul Bruce and Ralph Adler welcomed Robin Treadwell to join us part way through the year.

A price on carbon has been a key demand of serious climate action for three decades now, but efforts to impose such a price have largely failed.

If we don't act now, our survival on this planet is in the balance. Pat Baskett offers some ways people can do their bit to fight climate change.

Our Climate, Your Say is the government’s invitation for public input on its Zero Carbon Bill. Climate campaigner (and former Green Party co-leader) Jeanette Fitzsimons explains what she’ll be telling them.

I found myself coming away from the recent Hamilton workshop on Our Climate Declaration with a vivid picture in my mind of one easy and effective action we could take to tackle climate change in our city. 

Report on Climate Action Workshop, Blenheim, 2018 April 22.

Lead-up It was particularly favourable that the workshop followed a large-scale celebration of Earth Day on the previous day. Jeanette Fitzsimons was very well-received in giving the opening talk on taking action on climate change. Joanna Santa Barbara held a stall on Our Climate Declaration and the issue of moving to a more plant-based diet, and this elicited a good deal of interest. Climate Karanga Marlborough, the local climate action group, was organised for action. Workshop participants were largely people with a high level of knowledge and activism.

The problem of how to communicate and involve people is, for many, as perplexing a problem as that of climate change itself. The prospect of gaining practical help and developing ideas to overcome this hump brought together 22 people on Saturday March 24 at Tauranga’s Envirohub. They spent the day attending a workshop on Climate Action Plans run by Jeanette Fitzsimons and Pat Baskett, organised thanks to Mary Dillon, Envirohub’s chair.

“How to transform apocalypse fatigue into action on global warming” is the title of a Ted Talk by Norwegian psychologist and economist Per Espen Stoknes who co-chairs the Centre for Climate Strategy at the Norwegian Business School.

His presentation is slick and quick and I needed a re-run to grasp his “new psychology of climate action.” Well….it might not be so absolutely new but I found it a helpful reminder of ways to improve the chances of engaging people on this difficult and emotive subject. Here’s a summary.....

We had 16 attend our all-day workshop at the Rotorua Arts Centre on 10 Feb – a good number for discussion, and a range of ages from the 20s to 81. Jeanette presented with help from Pat , and with invaluable local organising help from Jenny Lux.

We covered ways of having a conversation about climate change: identifying shared values, understanding the other person’s point of view, making it relevant to them and motivating with hope rather than fear and guilt and too many facts. One theme that kept coming up was the balancing of pessimism and optimism, dealing with feelings of helplessness and building a supportive group. We practised this with role plays. Comments like “The Declaration made me feel excited” were very encouraging.