The National Campaign for Emission Reduction is reaching out to all Climate Aware people in Aotearoa, and asking you to send Postcards of Support to your local MP, Ministers and List MPs during the period from 20th May to 20th June. Find out more by downloading the PDF information pack below.
3 months after the first meeting of the Forum in mid-March, it is powering forward. Over 70 community members have attended each online Forum hui through the lockdown, and almost 20 subgroups are up and running, meeting online to plan and carry out their strategic action. From ecosystems and biodiversity to social justice and resilient communities to energy and transport, the subgroups are wide-ranging and are beginning to work together as a network.
The Forum has a public calendar of these online meetings, including links, so that anyone can attend. Check out the Forum's website: nelsontasmanclimateforum.org Today, almost 400 invitations were sent out across the region to the launch of the Nelson Tasman Climate Forum. Earlier this year, having gotten support from both Councils for the idea, we gathered together a diverse working group to establish it. We are very excited to now invite the wider community to attend the launch event on 29th February 2020 and join the conversation about how the Nelson Tasman region will respond to the challenges posed by climate change.
This invitation is for everyone. Find it here. To get an idea what we have been focusing on and contributing to in our first year, please check out our Annual Report. No boring financials, just a celebration of progress towards a safe climate.
We are very hopeful for some strong, positive action on climate change from both Councils over the next three years. In Nelson, we welcome back the key drivers of the declaration of climate emergency, Mayor Reese and Councillor Fulton, both committed to action on climate change, along with 5 other Councillors identified by Nelson Sustainable Transport (Nelsust) as having climate friendly policies. In Tasman, we welcome Tim King as the new Mayor, who consistently referred to climate change through the campaign as a key issue for the region. Our Joanna Santa Barbara interviewed him during the campaign to assess his views on climate change.
Over the last couple of weeks, we have introduced ourselves to both Councils and expressed our wish for continued, urgent action on climate change. You can see Jenny Easton and Bruce Gilkison being warmly received by Nelson City Council here (from 18:30).
We have also, of course, welcomed the passage of the "Zero Carbon Bill" in Wellington and will be working hard to support the region to meet its targets. Watch this space! It's always nice to be acknowledged. We've been supporting Tasman District Council in their work on climate change however we can and they've mentioned it in the latest Newsline. They may not have followed Nelson's climate emergency footsteps but they are still gathering speed. Here is their recent announcement about it, and a previous issue in which the Mayor also acknowledged our support :-) Edit: They debated the new draft climate strategy in Council on 12th September. In the public forum that day, we encouraged them to approve a strategy that reflects the urgency of taking action on climate change. They approved the draft strategy. Congratulations, Tasman!
This week, Rachel Reese, mayor of Nelson, recommended to Nelson City Council that they declared climate change to be a global emergency with serious impacts on the Nelson region. She was responding to requests from the Nelson community, including Extinction Rebellion, and had support from Zero Carbon Nelson Tasman. The recommendation was announced on Monday, before the public gave verbal submissions on the city's annual plan, and the debate happened after the submissions, giving submitters the opportunity to give their support to the idea - and we did! A long debate resulted in a declaration of emergency that gives hope and relief to climate activists in the region like us. Now we just have to make sure this significant but largely symbolic action has equally significant tangible outcomes.
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