At the outset of 2016, a group of British climate change activists protested the planned extension of what is already, the world’s most pollution engendering airport at Heathrow. They were arrested, charged and found guilty. This is an extract from a letter to The Guardian, written by the father of one of those arrested: He applauded his daughter’s action and referenced a famous scene from the film ‘The Railway Children,’ in which three children avert a railway disaster by warning the driver of an express train of a landslide on the line ahead.
“We are, all of us, on that express train. We are all hurtling towards climatic disaster. We have been warned by scientists. The authorities responsible for the railway are fully aware of the dangers. The passengers know, and the train driver knows. And still the train roars forward at full throttle, oblivious, yet knowing. The Heathrow protesters have tried again to warn us. They have stepped on to the runway, and they have waved their red flags. They have trespassed, and we should be grateful to them.”
Climate Karanga respects the courage and motivations of these protesters, but feels such dramatic and disruptive actions as stopping twenty-five flights into Heathrow, are only justified if they are likely to be effective. In a democracy, they are unlikely to be effective, until the majority of the community supports them – at which point, they are unlikely to be necessary, as the politicians will already have fallen into line.
Climate Karanga’s aim is to help New Zealand achieve that tipping point of personal conviction. That entails persuading New Zealanders to take responsibility for their individual actions in respect to climate change and their children’s future.
“We are, all of us, on that express train. We are all hurtling towards climatic disaster. We have been warned by scientists. The authorities responsible for the railway are fully aware of the dangers. The passengers know, and the train driver knows. And still the train roars forward at full throttle, oblivious, yet knowing. The Heathrow protesters have tried again to warn us. They have stepped on to the runway, and they have waved their red flags. They have trespassed, and we should be grateful to them.”
Climate Karanga respects the courage and motivations of these protesters, but feels such dramatic and disruptive actions as stopping twenty-five flights into Heathrow, are only justified if they are likely to be effective. In a democracy, they are unlikely to be effective, until the majority of the community supports them – at which point, they are unlikely to be necessary, as the politicians will already have fallen into line.
Climate Karanga’s aim is to help New Zealand achieve that tipping point of personal conviction. That entails persuading New Zealanders to take responsibility for their individual actions in respect to climate change and their children’s future.
Together every drop counts
A bucket of water is filled with a million drips. Millions of humans taking individual action to reduce their personal footprints on the planet and, yet, more effectively, using their votes to force national political leaders to do the same, will soon have the bucket overflowing. To quote from Lisa Bennett, one of the gurus of the climate protection movement “… being unable to do everything never reduces the meaning of doing something.” Under the “Add your Drop” button there are suggestions of individual actions to be taken.
The most effective contribution you can make is by having the courage to stand up and be counted. Another quote from Lisa Bennett:
“We are vulnerable to peer pressure, especially about things that confuse us. We can watch the news, see photos of melting glaciers, even experience changing weather patterns. But if our neighbors aren’t doing anything about climate change, we’re unlikely to do anything either because, as much as we hate to admit it, we are herd animals who use social cues to adapt to our environment, according to Robert Cialdini, author of Influence: The Psychology of Persuasion. And if you doubt how powerful this instinct is, consider the experiment Cialdini conducted in which his team hung four different kinds of flyers on people’s doorknobs in San Diego, with the goal of inspiring residents to reduce their energy consumption. Three of the flyers directly asked them to reduce their energy use, offering three different motivations: save money, save the environment, and benefit future generations. But none of these appeals made a significant difference. Only the fourth flyer did, which read simply: “The majority of your neighbors are undertaking energy-saving actions every day.” The lesson: Don’t be afraid to appeal to our instinct to fit in.”
The most effective contribution you can make is by having the courage to stand up and be counted. Another quote from Lisa Bennett:
“We are vulnerable to peer pressure, especially about things that confuse us. We can watch the news, see photos of melting glaciers, even experience changing weather patterns. But if our neighbors aren’t doing anything about climate change, we’re unlikely to do anything either because, as much as we hate to admit it, we are herd animals who use social cues to adapt to our environment, according to Robert Cialdini, author of Influence: The Psychology of Persuasion. And if you doubt how powerful this instinct is, consider the experiment Cialdini conducted in which his team hung four different kinds of flyers on people’s doorknobs in San Diego, with the goal of inspiring residents to reduce their energy consumption. Three of the flyers directly asked them to reduce their energy use, offering three different motivations: save money, save the environment, and benefit future generations. But none of these appeals made a significant difference. Only the fourth flyer did, which read simply: “The majority of your neighbors are undertaking energy-saving actions every day.” The lesson: Don’t be afraid to appeal to our instinct to fit in.”