Today hundreds of people across New Zealand buried their heads in sand to send a clear message to the New Zealand Government – get your head out of the sand and do something useful on climate change! With 12 events spanning the length of the country, and timed to coincide with the United Nations climate talks in Lima, Peru New Zealanders used it as an opportunity to display their strong frustration with the Government’s “all talk, weak action” stance on climate change. In Peru, the New Zealand Government is pushing against legally binding targets, while at home increasing support for fossil fuel extraction across the country and in deep waters offshore.
The actions were organised by Coal Action Network Aotearoa and supported by 350 Aotearoa, Oil Free Aotearoa groups, Generation Zero, Greenpeace, Forest & Bird, ECO, Auckland Coal Action, Coal Action Murihiku, Climate Justice Taranaki, and Action Station.
The events follows an emerging tradition of people burying their heads in sand in reaction to government inaction on climate change. In the last couple of months, hundreds of Australians in Townsville and then Bondi Beach took similar action, aimed at Tony Abbott’s climate denialism.
Where’s next?