Nelson Tasman Climate Forum invites you to Take the Jump – Tangohia te Peke

This Climate Action column was supplied by the Nelson Tasman Climate Forum, as part of an ongoing series on climate change.

Climate change is front of mind for many of us as flooding and slips become a frequent theme in the news. In Nelson Tasman, we’ve felt its effects close to home over the past few years – first the drought and Pigeon Valley fire in 2019, and then the massive floods and landslips in Nelson last year. The world is experiencing more extreme weather events as the world heats up. Like us, you may be asking yourself what can we do about it?

Reducing carbon emissions is essential, and to keep global temperature increases to 1.5˚C, in Nelson we need to each cut our carbon footprints by 8% a year, every year until 2030. That’s a tall order.

We at the Nelson Tasman Climate Forum have been searching for ways to help people make achievable changes that will bring down our overall emissions. This year during Climate Action Week (CAW) 26 May to 3 June 2023 we will launch Take the Jump – Tangohia te Peke to enable our region to come together around climate action.

Take the Jump is a science and evidence-based global movement that has identified some feasible lifestyle shifts that reduce our carbon output. Research shows that these individual and household shifts will get us about 27% of the way towards the 1.5˚C limit. The remaining 73% needs big changes to economics, politics and systems. History shows this usually happens when mass changes in mindset and culture lead the way. This starts with citizens and communities taking the jump – that’s you!

The Nelson Tasman Climate Forum has been working closely with the global Take the Jump team over the past year to adapt the lifestyle shifts to fit with Kiwi culture and context. The seven shifts that will have the largest impact on carbon emissions at household level are:

Some of these may seem daunting at first but Take the Jump – Tangohia te Peke is not about making all these changes in one go. It’s about making a start, trying out what is possible, and working from there with no shame, and lots of encouragement. We are aiming for an inclusive and supportive environment through local events, community groups and social media.

Take the Jump overall means less consumption, but with more time left over for creativity, care, comedy, camaraderie, contentment, craft, connection, celebration, culture and community. Taking action is also a great way to reduce climate anxiety.

During CAW (26 May to 3 June) the local Take the Jump – Tangohia te Peke team will be present at several events, including a Nelson Saturday Market and the Electric Bike and Vehicle expos. For those of you interested in learning more, there is a webinar on Thursday 1 June at 7.30pm – to register, and to see the full CAW schedule go to: ntcf.nz

Get jumping!

- Chris Wheatley, Deputy Chair, Nelson Tasman Climate Forum