RAM media release 28.10.06

Join ClimAction 'civil disobedience', ARC councillor urges other elected reps

On 27 October, Auckland Regional councillor Robyn Hughes sent an Open Invitation to other elected local body representatives urging them to join a ClimAction "civil disobedience" carnival and debate on climate change in the middle of Queen St. (See Open Invitation below.)

"ClimAction is adopting Martin Luther King's tactics of peaceful civil disobedience to promote public debate and action on climate change, which is the human survival issue of the 21st century," said Robyn Hughes. "Taking over a section of Queen St for a few hours will spotlight the central problem of greenhouse gas exhaust fumes.

"To those who might say an elected councillor should always obey the road rules, I would reply: 'Tackling climate change so that humanity survives into the next century is more important than breaching some road rules for a couple of hours. Anyway, if more decisive measures on global warming aren't taken, Queen St may be under water in a generation or two, and then we will be swimming, not obeying road rules.'

"By forewarning people that a section of Queen St near Aotea Square will be a no-go area for vehicles for several hours from 1pm on Saturday, 4 November, motorists can avoid holdups by choosing an alternative route.

"I was elected to the Auckland Regional Council on the RAM (Residents Action Movement) ticket," said Robyn Hughes. "Over the last few years, RAM has been campaigning for 'free and frequent buses' across our region, a call that has been meeting with growing public sympathy. So I embrace ClimAction's call for 'free and frequent public transport'.

"And RAM supports ClimAction's call for 'system change, not climate change'. We must make radical social changes if humanity and other species are to survive the unprecedented chaos of climate change."

ClimAction event details:
1pm on Saturday, 4 November
Assemble Aotea Square

For more information, contact:

ROBYN HUGHES
ARC councillor
021-273 9421
robynhughes@paradise.net.nz
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O PE N I N V I T A T I O N
To the chair & my fellow councillors of the Auckland Regional Council, and to the mayors and councillors of Auckland, Manukau, Waitakere and North Shore cities

ClimAction, a recently-formed climate change action coalition, is calling a climate change carnival and debate in Auckland at 1pm on Saturday, 4 November.

ClimAction participants will convene at Aotea Square, then move into the middle of Queen St in order to promote public debate and action on climate change.

We believe that peaceful civil disobedience, in the tradition of Martin Luther King, is necessary to build the social consensus for decisive action on climate change, the human survival issue of the 21st century.

ClimAction is flagging in advance its intention to convene for a few hours in the middle of Queen St, near Aotea Square, so that motorists can avoid this section of road without hassles.

We believe that mobilising public opinion against climate change is more important than blindly obeying road rules. Anyway, if far more decisive action is not taken on climate change, Queen St looks certain to be flooded within the next century, and then we will be swimming downtown, not abiding by road rules.

The epidemic growth of cars on our roads is one of the major contributors to climate change. ClimAction is therefore pressing for "free and frequent public transport" as a positive local alternative.

I was elected to the Auckland Regional Council on the RAM (Residents Action Movement) ticket. Over the last few years, RAM has been campaigning for "free and frequent buses" across our region, a call that has been meeting with growing public sympathy. So I embrace ClimAction's call for "free and frequent public transport".

ClimAction also believes that "Kyotro is not enough", and is calling for "system change, not climate change". We must make radical social changes if humanity and other species are to survive the unprecedented chaos of climate change.

As an Auckland Regional councillor, I invite my fellow elected local body representatives to join with me and other ClimAction participants at our climate change carnival and debate in the middle of Queen St on Saturday 4 November.

I hope you will support this life-affirming temporary breach of the road rules in order to mobilise against the greatest threat to human survival in our times.

Your feedback would be most appreciated.

Ends

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