Walk this way for climate action
Walking is both a zero-emissions transport option, and an antidote for climate anxiety.
Kia ora, welcome to Future Proof. I’m Ellen, thanks for joining me this week.
When the climate doom begins to creep up, I find there’s a simple solution: go for a walk.
Last week I went on a long walk in the mountains, past lakes and through rainforest, powered for 65-odd kilometres by my own two feet. It was marvellous.
But you don’t need to go on an epic hike; a simple stroll to the shops will do. Incorporating walking into your everyday routine is an easy way to up your climate action game and combat eco-anxiety. It’s the original sustainable transport option: zero emissions, quiet, and a bona fide mood booster.
Walk the talk
New Zealanders are keen on the idea of walking, and we love walking for leisure. Almost three-quarters of kiwi city-dwellers see walking as a great way to get around efficiently. But we’re not quite walking the walk-talk: on an average day, 81% of adults don’t walk for A-to-B transport (i.e. to work, to visit friends, or to the shops). Urban sprawl dominated by car infrastructure means we’re walking less on average compared to a few decades ago. The proportion of kids walking to school has dropped too.
‘Dead end’ for footpaths
The draft government policy statement on land transport, released last week, doesn’t bode well for boosting walking. The statement decreases funding for walking and cycling infrastructure, Matthew Scott reports for Newsroom. The car-centric policy has attracted fierce criticism: Hayden Donnell writes on The Spinoff that systems built entirely around cars end up hurting everyone, while advocate Paul Winton labelled the plan a “disgrace”.
Walk away the worry
If policy that doesn’t make climate change a strategic priority has you in your feelings, walk it out. Today is perfect for a walk: it’s the 15th annual Walk2Work day, encouraging folks to ditch their cars and commute via foot.
“It's really just saying good on people for walking, for taking that climate action, for looking after their own health, for looking after communities by getting out in them, on foot,” says Ellen Blake, the Wellington coordinator for Living Streets Aotearoa.
Walk2Work on the Wellington waterfront this morning. Walkers share what they love about walking.
Blake describes walking as a “wonder drug”, with big benefits for physical and mental health. But it’s also a foundation of connected communities, with pedestrian footpaths the lifelines between people. “Walking on the footpath makes the community feel much safer. It helps people become a neighbourhood, have a sense of place and a sense of belonging,” she says. You certainly don’t have many neighbourly interactions when you’re cooped up in a car on a busy street.
But on foot? “You can just walk down the road and somebody might smile at you and it'll just make your day. It's just nice, isn't it, just being part of your community.”
How to compost for every living situation
You don’t have to have green thumbs – or a garden – to compost your food scraps. From apartment living to lifestyle blocks, there are many different ways to make composting fit into your space.
Another alternative to your spenny car: the bicycle
A few weeks ago we covered the climate benefits of biking. As costs associated with car ownership soar, some are turning to bicycle-public transport combos to get around. Shanti Mathias spoke to three people from west Auckland about where – and why – they love to cycle.
Methane-detecting satellite launches
A methane-detecting satellite, MethaneSAT, is now in orbit after launching last week. Developed by the US Environmental Defense Fund, New Zealand pitched in funding and will host mission control for the game-changing methane measurer. The satellite’s “superpower” is its ability to track the planet-heating gas precisely, zeroing in on leaks from oil and gas production. New Zealand researchers will also investigate whether the satellite can detect agricultural methane emissions.
ICYMI: Bad News Saves the World Part 2 takes on cow burps
Alice Snedden is back with a new instalment of Bad News, and this time she’s diving headlong into the climate crisis. She tells Alex Casey that the two-parter was a rollercoaster: “I’ve had all these emotions of complete and utter despair, but have now come right back around to: what can I control within my own little sphere of action? What can I be conscious of? How can I make an impact? Because it’s just not really an option to ignore it.” A couple of weeks ago we discussed part 1 – and the power of climate comedy – but make sure you don’t miss part 2. It’s a ripper.
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To finish this issue, some dispatches from the ocean. Scientists have fished up as many as 100 new species from the Bounty Trough, off the east coast of the South Island. Finds include three new fish, and a strange creature that is confounding experts. From the other side of the Pacific, near Hawai’i, another remarkable surprise from the sea: two humpback whales have been observed copulating for the first time ever – and they’re both males.
Make some waves,
Ellen
Got some feedback about Future Proof or topics you’d like covered? Get in touch with me at futureproof@thespinoff.co.nz
