Tēnā koutou katoa. Ngā mihi nui mō tēnei tau hou.

Another year and a new government – and here we are facing the same issues of overshoot, global heating, biodiversity loss…. of survival even. It’s hard not to ask oneself where our years of climate activism have led.  How is it that the scientific consensus on the catastrophic changes we’re making to this earth, has minimal influence on the policies of those we entrust to govern us?

Perhaps most demoralizing is the realization of how few in number we activists are – despite opinion polls purporting to show that 80% of the population are concerned about what’s happening with this changing climate.

How do we explain the disconnect between this finding and the denialist actions our own government is implementing – with impunity?

We can’t let them believe there is no opposition to policies which seriously compromise the commitment we made in Paris to reduce emissions. Please send Luxon and Ministers a barrage of letters. Ask them how Government plans to meet our 2030 emissions reductions targets.

Please tell them:

• Road User Charges for EVs should not be disproportionally higher for their weight than those paid by any fossil-fuelled vehicle.
• There must be no new permits for offshore oil exploration.
• There must be no mining on the conservation estate.
• Disruptive impacts from climate change are now inevitable. Dealing with them will require national unity and concern for social justice.
• Traditional Māori concepts of kaitiakitanga, exemplifying custodianship of the natural world, are an important model for ecological protection and restoration.

Our webinar programme

Last year we held 12 webinars. They addressed a wide range of topics including food security and current land use practices, the effects of heat on the workforce, Tradeable Energy Quotas (TEQS) as a more efficient way to price carbon than our ETS, the economics of de-growth and how city forests can heal the planet. All were recorded and are available on our website.

All except one!

Titled The Behavioural Crisis, it was first broadcast on November 29 but the audio quality of that recording was so poor we took it down. We are pleased, therefore, to offer you a second chance to hear the views of three speakers who explore the drivers of ecological overshoot which they see as “a symptom of a deeper, more subversive modern crisis of human behaviour.”

Time: Wednesday March 6, 7pm. Details and zoom link to follow.

This year’s programme will include an update on the Climate Action Grants we set up to honour our founder, former Green Party co-leader Jeanette Fitzsimons. The Grants committee has been exploring different ways of making the awards which are aimed at rangatahi, either individual young people or those working in groups.

The committee has been especially supportive of the East Coast Exchange, an organization which channels aid to communities whose livelihoods were devastated by the cyclone in February 2023.

There will be more! Watch this space.

We look forward to your participation and we encourage you to act for those of the 80% who say they care but do nothing. Tell the PM he has his head in the sand.

Kia kaha katoa,
Pat Baskett and the Team.

Your donation will help us to continue our work for a world that is safe for humanity.

Donate to Our Climate Declaration general fund:
Kiwibank # 38 9018 0711725 00

Donate to the Jeanette Fitzsimons Climate Action Grants fund:
Kiwibank # 38 9018 0711725 01

Our number as a registered charity is: CC60027

Please let us know when you make a donation - Contact us or email [email protected]

Thank you. Your donation will be wisely spent.