Environmental care and connection, Climate change
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Environmental care and connection, Climate change
We know we have to urgently address climate change to ensure future generations can survive and live well. There is also growing awareness we have to change our use of natural resources as a commodity. Participants shared about how indigenous and relational ways of interacting with nature are positive models that need to be prioritised. There is a need for the government to take real action with the future in mind, rather than only talking about the problems.
Land is not a commodity. We need to go back to indigenous ecology. There’s some great papers put out by indigenous scholars, Canada First Nation people, that show how we [indigenous people] view the world differently than the mainstream Western lens.
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Land is not a commodity. We need to go back to indigenous ecology. There’s some great papers put out by indigenous scholars, Canada First Nation people, that show how we [indigenous people] view the world differently than the mainstream Western lens.
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Desacralizing of earth [is a barrier]. People seeing earth as a commodity and for humans to use. How do we shift our lifestyles? Maybe covid is a window of opportunity, to allow earth to be restored. We are very dualistic - humanity is - in the way in which we walk the earth - how can we be in harmony with the earth? How can we be more in relationship with the earth? It’s complex and I think more young people are clicking into it and seeing it. That’s part of wanting to belong to a global community.
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We need to look more into the future and how we want our future to look. How do we inform and participate in influencing a vision we hope for our future generations, based on the obstacles we have now, especially environmental, what resources we have. It is possible [to live sustainably] and some people are living this [way now], but it needs to be made available to everyone.
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Societies relationship with nature and the unseen
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There needs to be bigger understanding and learning around things like the Whanganui is a river – it’s more than that – it’s an ancestor. Everyone can have a connection to the awa.
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That’s why doing a beach clean up is good, it’s neutral, you can work along side with others doing [clean up] and be yourself and have your own faith and learn to relate with them.
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They have to be realistic and get out there and actually talk to the people. Rather than make decisions on what their beliefs are. Don’t go in one-minded. Rather than put money into a feasibility study, get $300,000 to put into stop banks. I’ve been on all these community groups, I’ll go to things and they’ll just put out another report. Local govt [ie the consultations he goes to are by local govt]. Govt was going to put money into Franz Joseph, but nothing really happened.
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If you’re got Greenpeace and these vegan protesters: don’t know what you can do about that. Australian govt has put in that they can be prosecuted – protesters who chain themselves on to buildings, trucks, etc. Hope that happens in NZ. Just be mindful.
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Make the people in power more aware of the environment and sustainable growth. Should be making decisions for the better, especially reducing carbon emissions. Together with reducing emissions, we need to change the economy, and social justice.
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