100 signatures reached
To: The NZ Government
Intergenerational Open Letter for Climate Action Now
Join these New Zealand’s Intergenerational Climate Ambassadors, aged from 13 to 88, to call on the Government for a climate reset now. We are all a group representing all generations including the Solid Generation (pre 1946), Baby Boomers, GenX, Millennials and Centennials, calling on the Government for accelerated climate action.
The climate crisis is major, global, and perpetual – until we do something about it.
In July 2017 Jacinda Ardern proclaimed “This is my generation’s Nuclear Free moment!”
Since the Ardern-led government came to power, there has been progress. The Zero Carbon Act has become law, the Climate Change Commission has been created and is working on its first emissions reduction budget, and the first Climate Change Risk assessment has been published. But we still need rapid action to reduce those emissions.
If we keep going the way we are we will have one and a half degrees of warming (compared to pre-industrial) in 10 years, two degrees in twenty years, and 3 to 4 degrees by the end of the century.
While New Zealand is moving towards action on climate change, we need to move faster.
The climate crisis is major, global, and perpetual – until we do something about it.
In July 2017 Jacinda Ardern proclaimed “This is my generation’s Nuclear Free moment!”
Since the Ardern-led government came to power, there has been progress. The Zero Carbon Act has become law, the Climate Change Commission has been created and is working on its first emissions reduction budget, and the first Climate Change Risk assessment has been published. But we still need rapid action to reduce those emissions.
If we keep going the way we are we will have one and a half degrees of warming (compared to pre-industrial) in 10 years, two degrees in twenty years, and 3 to 4 degrees by the end of the century.
While New Zealand is moving towards action on climate change, we need to move faster.
Why is this important?
This would be disastrous for the youth of today, and for all future generations. Increasing extreme events and sea level rise have the potential to wreck our civilisation and bring misery and hardship to billions of people globally. It is time for climate change to be at the heart of every decision the New Zealand government, now and in the future, makes. The generations of today, and those not yet born demand this of you.
For communities in the Pacific this means sea level rise, it means damage to food and water supplies, and for some island communities it may mean losing the islands they have lived on for generations. Here in New Zealand, many of the same issues will threaten our livelihoods and lifestyles around the country.
We know the technologies are at hand – renewable energy sources such as solar and wind, hydrogen fuels and many others, but we just need to get on and deploy these as fast as we can. We urge that all New Zealand governments act urgently on climate change, as we must start future-proofing our country economy and mindsets to climate change as we can do this.
The Climate Change Commission in its April 2020 letter to government has indicated the way of achieving this - through clean energy and energy efficiency; improved transport systems including public transport; sustainable land use and robust transport, energy and water infrastructure.
Through the response to COVID-19, we have seen the power of people to act as a collective. It is time to see to climate action and climate justice, this really is our moment across all generations. We are out of time – we have had the Pandemic – and it is time for action by all.
For communities in the Pacific this means sea level rise, it means damage to food and water supplies, and for some island communities it may mean losing the islands they have lived on for generations. Here in New Zealand, many of the same issues will threaten our livelihoods and lifestyles around the country.
We know the technologies are at hand – renewable energy sources such as solar and wind, hydrogen fuels and many others, but we just need to get on and deploy these as fast as we can. We urge that all New Zealand governments act urgently on climate change, as we must start future-proofing our country economy and mindsets to climate change as we can do this.
The Climate Change Commission in its April 2020 letter to government has indicated the way of achieving this - through clean energy and energy efficiency; improved transport systems including public transport; sustainable land use and robust transport, energy and water infrastructure.
Through the response to COVID-19, we have seen the power of people to act as a collective. It is time to see to climate action and climate justice, this really is our moment across all generations. We are out of time – we have had the Pandemic – and it is time for action by all.
How it will be delivered
We plan to deliver this message to the new Government with speeches outside Parliament in November 2020.
The Time for Climate Reset is now!
On behalf of the nine Intergenerational Climate Ambassadors
Sir Alan Mark (88) Dr Jim Salinger (73) Professor James Renwick (63)
Lucy Lawless (52) Chloe van Dyke (35) Florence van Dyke (30)
Bethany Mataiti (24) Sophie Handford (19) Mãia Wijohn (13)
Sponsored by the Wise Response Society