Looking ahead to the future
We are pleased to announce the winners of the first round of the Jeanette Fitzsimons Climate Action Grants. These were set up to support young people or organisations who are working to sustain the values that Jeanette lived by.
Te Ara Whatu is a vibrant organisation of Māori and Pasifica young people, based in South Auckland. They came together in 2017 as the first indigenous youth delegation from Aotearoa to attend the 23rd session of UN Climate Talks. They have received $5000 to enable them to hold a series of hui to strengthen climate awareness and activities amongst frontline communities here and in the Pacific.
Generation Zero is a youth-lead organisation who campaigned hard for the legislation that became the Zero Carbon Bill. Their Auckland team will use their grant of $5000 to intensify lobbying local government for low emissions transport and advocating greater urban density.
We look forward to a year of change. There is much to fix – and we have the potential to do so, starting with the release on February 1 of the Climate Change Commission’s draft of their first “package of advice” to Parliament.
This will consist of four main pieces of work: assessing the country’s first three emissions budgets; advice on how these budgets can be achieved; a study on how to reduce methane from ruminant animals; and a review of our (shamefully low!) Nationally Determined Contribution under the Paris Agreement.
This 2015 commitment was to reduce emissions by 30% below 2005 levels by 2030. The reality is that emissions from all sources continue to rise, albeit at slowing rates. Our current per capita emissions level is one of the highest in the world. If we were to accept our fair share of responsibility we would have a reductions target higher than the average in the developed world.
We have until March 14 to analyse and comment on the report. The OCD team suggests our original Declaration offers a useful shortlist of priorities against which to hold whatever advice the CCC comes up with. Stopping the bad stuff (no new coal mines, no expansion of natural gas wells in Taranaki) is increasingly urgent. Bringing on the good is our only sure way to a safe future (farming sustainably, reducing consumption of energy and materials).
Will the Commission recommend a binding carbon budget and a plan to meet it? Does the plan ensure support for those with the fewest means and those who will be adversely affected by making the required changes?
The Commission’s final version is due for presentation in May.
Mark Lynas, in his book “Our Final Warning”, published last year, wrote:
“It is the hard stuff in the real world that matters: tarmac, pipelines, refineries, gas turbines, petrol engines and coal boilers…This is where the future is decided.”
A different future we are all working to create.
Ngā mihi mahana,
Our Climate Declaration Team
http://www.ourclimatedeclaration.org.nz/
