Change Everything
On the 12th and 13th of December 2015, Oil Free Wellington hosted Change Everything, a gathering and day of action for climate change. The weekend was an opportunity to come together to korero, organise and skillshare across our different struggles, as well as take action.
The Paris climate talks ended that weekend, and we knew it would be more important than ever to empower our own communities to take the action needed to make our climate safe for current and future generations.
The Paris climate talks ended that weekend, and we knew it would be more important than ever to empower our own communities to take the action needed to make our climate safe for current and future generations.
Change Everything: A Climate Justice Gathering
More than 120 people came to listen and discuss the root causes of climate change and real solutions. There were lots of amazing speakers covering topics such as capitalism, colonisation and the climate; green capitalism, state and community-based solutions; work, poverty and housing, tino rangatiratanga and fossil fuel extraction in the far north; local solutions like time banking, the Common Unity Project and Mechanical Tempest; and direct action as an approach to climate organising.
On the Sunday, we hired 100 kayaks and invited people to bring their own vessels. We had two hundred people on land and water for the community flotilla and rally. It was a beautiful day. We were inspired by speakers from activist and oil groups from around the country. All shared the message that now more than ever it is up to us, the people, to resist the expansion of the fossil fuel industry – and that oil companies planning to explore this summer can expect resistance.
See here for a short video about the action and some good media coverage here and here.
It’s up to us as communities to continue to take real action on climate change, and to send a strong message to the fossil fuel industries who are planning to expand their extraction.
A written compilation of the presentations from Change Everything can be found by clicking below.
Change Everything Reader