Growing awareness, growing change

Awareness about climate change has grown. It's still growing. As we continue to come face to face, on a more regular basis, with the impacts of climate change, our awareness will grow more still.

Since last Novembers Global Day of Action on Climate we've had the release of 'The Stern Report', 'An Inconvenient Truth' and the IPCC Fourth Assessment Period Reports. There has been increasing discussion in the media about food miles and energy generation. The proposed Marsden B coal-fired power station has been dropped, and the 'West Wind' wind farm is to go ahead. After the release of the energy strategies, the Government has indicated that Genesis Energy's proposed Rodney gas station will not go ahead.

As a result of all this and more, there is increasing concern and many of us are working hard to reduce our impact on the climate in our homes, and in our communities. Around 3/4 of the New Zealand public are 'concerned' about the climate, and sensing this the political parties are all trying to position themselves as climate leaders in the run-up to next years general election.

Globally there has been a huge increase in climate awareness, with IPCC reports, Live Earth concerts, international discussions and policies, and general climate discussion having been headlining in our media consistently.

But where is all this going? All this awareness-raising, and growing concern is good, but what is to come of it?

The answer is action. Be The Change is all about us taking responsibility for our own impact on the climate. Together we can and will make a huge difference to our collective carbon footprint - but the politicians must come to the party too.

We want our awareness and concerns, our discussions and our movement, to translate into bigger changes. We want to see action from companies, councils, governments, and UN conferences, especially the conference currently taking place in Bali.

This December 8th is the Global day of Action on climate, and it's our chance to show that the time for talk and awareness-rasing is over. We're asking our representatives in Bali to give us serious results that will give us the best chance of avoiding dangerous levels of climate change.

- jojo