The Equitable Transitions Strategy – a call to action from TEU’s Tiakina te Taiao | Climate Action Network.

By Rachel Bolstad

Tiakina te Taiao (TEU’s climate action network) has been monitoring and commenting on emerging policy around Aotearoa New Zealand’s climate transitions. We’ve recently been asked to give input into an Equitable Transitions Strategy. We encourage everyone with an interest in education, equity, and environmental and climate justice to engage with this work too.

Keeping on top of climate policy – amongst all the other constant challenges and changes we have to keep on top of in the education sector – can be hard, so here’s a quick primer.

There are two big transitions that we need to make as a country, both connected to climate change:

• The transition to a low-emissions future for Aotearoa (Emissions reduction)
• The transition to a climate-impacted Aotearoa (Adaptation)

We can’t afford to trade off one of these pathways of action at the expense of the other, and the slow pace of global action on climate for decades has amplified the urgency of this challenge.

The Government is now consulting on the development of an Equitable Transitions Strategy for emissions reduction. You might think such a strategy should already exist, but it doesn’t – yet. You might also think that such a strategy should encompass both emissions reduction and adaptation, since New Zealanders will be affected by both transitions, but it doesn’t – because climate policy is rolling forward in these two interconnected-but-also-separate workstreams.

If you only have 10 minutes, you could complete a short MBIE survey which is open until April. There are questions about education and training, workers, and people and communities more likely to be impacted by the transitions to a low-emissions future.

If you have more time and energy, there are some other ways to engage. If you want to get involved in shaping TEU’s input, email us and/or join Tiakina te Taiao. If you’ve already engaged by, for example, attending face-to-face or online hui, we’re keen to hear your experiences of the consultation process.