Think of our planet when you vote
It’s election time again, and a chance for us all to consider the kind of country we want to live in.
Our environment doesn’t get a vote, but we can spare a thought for how it’ll be affected by the policies being offered up by the various parties.
This isn’t an entirely altruistic thing to do, as we know that our own health and wellbeing is entirely dependent on the wellbeing on our planet. Without clean water, soil, and air, and a favourable climate, we won’t survive for very long!
Of course, what we do as an individual person or household does make a huge difference. Making less rubbish and using less power and petrol all helps, but it won’t change the world on its own.
All these little individual actions need to be supported by government legislation if they’re going to make any difference to the big picture.
We can choose to refuse plastic bags at the supermarket, but only the government can stop plastic bags from being available in our country in the first place.
Government legislation determines how the Earth’s resources are used, by whom and at what cost.
For too long, our natural resources have been used and abused with little thought for how long they will last, or what the costs will be for our health along the way.
The role of a government should be to serve the people and land it governs, so we should rightly hold them to account for how the Earth fares under their watch.
This is a crucial time for our planet, with climate change already threatening the lives and livelihoods of people all around the world. As a species, we need to make some radical changes to the way we live, and we don’t have much time left.
I feel worried about what life will be like for my children in the future, if we carry on with the status quo.
This election, I’ll be looking to see which parties will support the efforts of so many of us in the community who are trying to do our bit to look after the environment and leave it in a better state for our children and grandchildren.
I’ll be listening to see who is prepared to stand up for the health of our land, water, air, soil and people, and enable us all to thrive.
My hope is that each of us will take the time to find out what the different parties are promising to do to create a better environment for us, not just today, but for the generations that’ll come after us.
Justine Skilling, Talking Rubbish, MEFamily Services For waste minimisation support inMa¯ngere/O¯ta¯huhu, please contact Talking Rubbish, justine@mefsc.org.nz. Visit Auckland Council’s makethemostofwaste.co.nz to learn more about reducing your waste.