If you have climate related events, resources, requests, suggestions or any other information you would like to share please send it to us.

Some of the events listed here come via the excellent Glean Report - Science and knowledge events in New Zealand. Free to subscribe.

In this update

Reminder: Eastbourne Community Board meeting tonight (20 June 2023) - East Harbour Womens Club, 7:15pm - Agenda pdf 11.5MB, or read the latest ECB newsletter including chair's report and agenda highlights

Survey

East By West is working with the Eastern Bays Climate Response Network to understand how we can provide better access to the ferry and service to residents of the Eastern Bays, as well as visitors into the area. We encourage current ferry users and non-users alike to take part.

• Complete the survey now

Note from Ginny: The climate network is working with East by West ferries on how we might combine to encourage more people out of cars and onto the ferry. The completion of the Windy Point - Ma-Koromiko section of  Tupua Horo Nuku is the perfect moment to persuade commuters out of their cars onto the ferry as the road works move to Sunshine Bay. What a moment to bike or walk safely to the ferry, get fit and avoid the delays further along Marine Drive.

Webinar series

E tū te mana o Te Ao: Building a Climate of Hope Webinar Series: Wednesdays 14 June – 5 July, 7.30-8.30pm

Talk

The Future is Rail Conference : Reconnecting Aotearoa 2030 A day of big ideas on passenger rail & how we turn them into reality. June 28th

Talk: The Future is Rail: Reviving long distance passenger trains.2pm, 2nd July, St Ronan's

ERI Seminar Series: “TAIAO - Green AI in Green Aotearoa”  (14 June-5 July) focusing specifically on the dual core strategies of Green AI: employing AI to tackle sustainability issues and adopting AI in a more sustainable way. With AI increasingly serving as a significant asset in Aotearoa, it is enhancing problem-solving capabilities and boosting research efficiency. More

Antarctica’s Role and Response in Global Climate  Dr. Robinson will discuss Antarctica’s role in, and response to, our changing climate, highlighting its multi-scale connections with the global ocean. Wednesday 5 July 2023, 6.00 - 7.00 pm at the Royal Society Te Apārangi premises, 11 Turnbull St. Thorndon, Wellington

Reading / Watching / Listening

New FBT (Fringe Benefit Tax) exemptions for bikes and public transport explained (worth a read and discussing with your employer/employees)

The role of recreation in disasters - Recreation Aotearoa During times of crisis recreation can play a vital role in helping communities to cope ...

Water infrastructure failures from Cyclone Gabrielle show low resilience to climate change Cyclone Gabrielle swept across large parts of Aotearoa New Zealand (NZ) in February this year, it displaced thousands of people as flooding caused landslides, ripped through homes, trapped people on roofs, ruined farmland and closed roads. Here we assess the reported damage to water infrastructure in this disaster and find evidence of a low level of resilience.

E tū te mana o Te Ao: Building a Climate of Hope

Webinar Series: Wednesdays 14 June – 5 July, 7.30-8.30pm

The Religious Diversity Centre Climate Action Group (https://rdc.org.nz/rdc-climate-action-group/) invites you to attend a special webinar series called ‘E Tū Te Mana O Te Ao – Building a Climate of Hope’.  Aotearoa New Zealand can play a key role in efforts to address the climate crisis globally. Like all countries our top priority must be to cut our emissions quickly because they are the key driver of climate change. Given our abundance of nature, though, our most distinctive role internationally is to help nature restore itself, which in turn brings climate and many other benefits. How fast and well we do in this role helps to give hope to the peoples of other countries.   

This four-part webinar series features inspiring speakers and respondents, including: Dr Jane Goodall DBE, Founder of the Jane Goodall Institute & UN Messenger of Peace; Rabbi Dean Shapiro, Progressive Jewish Community of Auckland (Beth Shalom), mentor for Blessed Tomorrow's Climate Ambassador Training; Mary Moeono-Kolio, Climate Activist, Pacific Climate Warriors; and the Rt Hon Helen Clark, Former PM of NZ & former Administrator of the UN Development Programme. Webinars 1, 3 and 4 will be moderated by Rod Oram, respected journalist and RDC Climate Action Group member.

Together they will discuss the shorter- and longer-term effects of climate change in Aotearoa New Zealand, the Pacific Region, and the World, and most importantly they will help build a climate of hope by sharing suggestions for climate action with us.

Register today for all or any of the sessions.

The Future is Rail: Reviving long distance passenger trains
2pm, 2nd July , St Ronan's Church Hall
Paul Callister is a retired economist. However, retirement seems to have created even more work! Paul’s current research areas include climate change policy, sustainable transport, and ecological restoration. He is active in two major restoration projects in Kapiti, with a particular interest in lizards.

Royal Society Te Apārangi Wellington Branch and the Royal Society Te Apārangi Joint Public Lecture

Antarctica’s Role and Response in Global Climate 

Dr Robinson, Physical Oceanographer at NIWA

On Wednesday 5 July at 6.00 pm the Royal Society Te Apārangi Wellington Branch and the Royal Society Te Apārangi will host a free public lecture. We hope that you will attend and contribute to the discussion afterward. Please come along. Full details of the lecture are given below.

Wednesday 5 July 2023, 6.00 - 7.00 pm at the Royal Society Te Apārangi premises, 11 Turnbull St. Thorndon, Wellington

Dr. Robinson will discuss Antarctica’s role in, and response to, our changing climate, highlighting its multi-scale connections with the global ocean. The main focus will be on sea ice – the frozen surface of the ocean – which effectively doubles the size of Antarctica each winter and forms a pivotal point of connection between ice, ocean, atmosphere and ecosystem. This annual signal in our climate system helps keep the planet cool; provides a habitat that underpins a thriving marine ecosystem; and drives global ocean overturning.

 Natalie will describe her own research within this context, and provide some personal stories, accumulated over eight seasons on ice.

David Lillis, Royal Society Te Apārangi Wellington Branch

You can forward this to someone if they would like to  join the Eastern Bays Climate Response Network and/or subscribe to the email updates