Cartoon by Murdoch for the Christchurch Press. Reproduced by permission of @domesticanimal.

We took action last Sunday…

Heads in the Sand last Sunday, in which a thousand or so New Zealanders at 12 beaches around the country put their heads in the sand to symbolise the Government’s failure to act on climate change, was a great success.

It was covered on TV1, on NZ’s leading Chinese-language TV station, by a German TV crew, on Stuff, in the Herald, on Scoop, by radio  channels including Newstalk ZB,  in the International Business Times and in the “The Ecologist” magazine. And it clearly rocked Climate Change Minister Tim Groser, who was forced to defend his Government’s awful record on climate change and ludicrously inadequate climate negotiating position just as he prepared to leave for the COP 20 climate talks in Lima.

You can see videos, photos and reports from Heads in the Sand here:

https://coalactionnetworkaotearoa.wordpress.com/?s=head+in+the+sand

…Now let’s follow up this coming Monday

Thanks to Generation Zero

But the climate movement isn’t finished with the Government yet over its woeful failure to deliver real action on climate change.Generation Zero has an excellent action called “Cut the Gap” coming up on Monday. They are asking people to sign up to visit their local National Party MPs on Monday morning, between 8 and 9am, to either congratulate them for pledging new action on climate change in Lima, or showing our disapproval if they don’t act. The list of confirmed actions is at the bottom of this post.

If you’d like to sign up to take part in this action, there’s lots more info and a simple signup form at

http://www.generationzero.org/cutthegap

You can also sign up on Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/events/303466363175497/

And you can watch a Firstline interview with Paul Young of Generation Zero: http://www.3news.co.nz/nznews/how-can-nz-save-its-green-reputation-2014121011#axzz3Ldx3e311

Coal Action Network Aotearoa thinks Generation Zero’s Cut the Gap is a great sequel to Heads in the Sand. We hope you’ll decide to take part.

LATEST NEWS

The list of MP visits on Monday has now been announced – if there’s one near you, please come along. (Please note that start times vary):

Tim Jones

The post We put our Heads in the Sand last Sunday. This Monday, it’s time to tell National MPs to Cut the Gap on climate change. appeared first on Coal Action Network Aotearoa.

http://www.scoop.co.nz/stories/PO1108/S00366/national-mp-says-no-to-lignite-mining.htm

A similar stance by Auckland National MP Nikki Kaye against mining in National Parks was the first sign that National was losing its nerve over its plan to mine Schedule 4 lands. Let’s make this the beginning of the end for National’s lignite mining plans! You can help the process by telling your local National MP or candidate about this development and inviting them to follow Michael Woodhouse’s lead.

As a bonus, fire off an email to the Prime Minister and ask him what he thinks of this rebellion in the ranks.

Generation Zero have some great tips for your letters, here: http://generationzero.org.nz/681

The post Politics Watch appeared first on Coal Action Network Aotearoa.