Lisa Er: Survival Movement NZ - Is NZ and it's people resilient and motivated to cope with our uncertain future?

Published: April 11, 2019, midnight

b"She has dedicated a Facebook page called \\u2018Survival Movement NZ\\u2019 and invites everyone to come and participate. This below is what Lisa leads with: \\xa0 The world is in a dire state. Climate change is lapping at our doors. It is estimated that one fifth of the world\\u2019s population will become climate migrants, if they survive at all. Global food security will be severely impacted. With food shortages, food prices spike. There will be more floods, droughts, and forest fires. Sea level rise will affect many places around the country and houses will become uninhabitable. The world economy is unstable. At any time your local ATM could be shut and you could be unable to withdraw money. For how long you don\\u2019t know. World trade could collapse as money markets fail. If we don\\u2019t stop the widespread use of insecticides and herbicides the world will see an insect collapse in 100 years, which will cause the biosphere to collapse.. However our food supply will basically be destroyed at only a 75% loss. How will we survive the next few decades if no changes are made to our lifestyles? Lisa is asking us to get real and look at our uncertain future, and then do something about it. What if? Last year Lisa had no power for 4 days after a large storm hit Auckland and so experienced living with no electricity for that time. So she had to buy a BBQ, which she was able to drive and buy - so she was ok with cooking for those 4 days. She also had ready access to food and a generator to keep the freezer working. But, what if a crisis was for a longer period? That it was city wide, provincial, or national? Fortunately Auckland has a gravity fed water reticulation system, from large storage facilities (with diesel generators as backup) - so water in most situations will get to everyone\\u2019s homes, as long as the economy is functioning. If food in supermarkets runs out? It is no good saying that you will be ok because you are off the grid or growing all your own food. If there\\u2019s a major crisis there is the possibility of armed and desperate people coming in and taking all your vegetables from your garden and food from your house. \\xa0We need to have in place staple food and essentials in localised storage facilities that is readily accessible for the supermarkets in the city? Lisa states that if NZ put in place a well thought out strategy and plan to deal what nature or the global financial system issues occur - then NZ is well placed to weather it out. The proviso being - that the political process is involved. So what does one do to make us resilient and more self reliant? \\xa0We have to look at electricity, transport and food, especially food, and find efficient ways to get these items to people everywhere in the city and regions in the case of a major emergency or long term crisis . Planning from both Central and Local Government. This has to be planned for at both Local Government level and at Governmental levels. Lisa said contact both Local and Central Government and ask them what contingencies they have for this? \\xa0Local Governments are easier to contact and have influence as well as contacts in Central Government. Electricity Needs In 2017 - 82% of NZ electrical needs were from renewables In 2007 Helen Clark when PM set a national target of 90% renewables by 2025. With wind energy to make up most of this increase. Which is exceptionally and good for our country. Making it exceptionally high by world standards. Lisa mentioned if a category 5 storm hit Auckland we could be without power for several weeks as a huge number of lines would be down. However she says the key to this is preparation and in Pittsburgh in Pennsylvania in the USA - they are factoring in their cities future to be more green and aware. http://pittsburghpa.gov/dcp/sustainability-resilience Auckland Council\\u2019s website is a page where you can leave suggestions for consideration \\xa0\\u2026. so she wants us all to support innovative ways to make Auckland (and New Zealand) resilient. However, there are some things that have to be done through Central Government as well. https://www.aucklandcouncil.govt.nz/environment/educationsustainability/Pages/sustainability-education-programmes.aspx Creating Money within New Zealand Lisa wants the Reserve Bank of NZ to create money, not private banking, as in the NZ Social Credit Party\\u2019s financial policy. As a small country we might be able to get away with it, and not have the overseas bankers turn the screws on us. But, she said that if there was a crisis - all the major countries would be crisis too. https://socialcredit.nz \\xa0Supporting local banks and co-operatives is also essential So we need to be aware and prepare. Oil Needs Tim - NZ has the capacity to extract both oil and gas. We need to have enough to keep every truck and bus running on NZ roads and Lisa mentioned back in the 1970's, with the oil problems, that we in NZ had carless days. We have 3 months of stored fuel in the country as an emergency measure, but Lisa mentions no food is currently stored. Most NZ wheat is now is grown in Australia and processed there too. As Dr Janice Priest mentioned a few weeks ago in a GreenplanetFM interview Australian wheat is a strain that is heavy in gluten, whereas NZ\\u2019s previous wheat had far less gluten. All of our rice is grown overseas - and Lisa says it's a big Achilles heel, that needs to be seriously addressed. Many other staples have to be imported rather than being grown here. She mentions a TV series in Britain many years ago where a virus caused mass deaths and what few survivors there were had to scavenge and eventually fight for food and she says hungry people will fight till the death - that it was a very dark story - so why not prepare for the future especially as climate change may have unparalleled effects. Transition Towns Tim mentions 'Transition Towns' is operating in a number of places in NZ. http://www.transitiontowns.org.nz - Originally it was set up in response arising from climate change, resource depletion and an economy based on growth. Lisa says they at one level are fantastic but asks if they have solutions for a crisis in a large city. Farmers Markets Tim mentions that in the meantime farmers markets are a way forward and you can network from there and build relationships and have also sales of items other than food. \\xa0 https://www.ourplanet.org/greenplanetfm/mark-spelding-thames-coromandel-localised-nz-communities-which-connect-and-prosper https://www.ourplanet.org/greenplanetfm/jeff-griggs-transition-towns-mens-sheds-localised-food Community Gardens across the Nation? We hear that the Manukau Health Board are involved with 75 community gardens in their area and there are a further 25 community gardens happening in the Auckland City area. This too is a good start to enable community to come together and meet and cooperate and collaborate. There are many different ethnic groups as wells cultures involved, being a great melting pot. http://www.dpt.org.nz Living Economies - Is Very important https://livingeconomies.nz Tim mentions Living Economies - a NZ web site that can help anyone anywhere develop a system for your local community - \\xa0especially setting up a Time Bank as well as Financial Pools and creating Green dollars and they have all the connections for you - just go up to LivingEconomies.nz and you can download computer programs to set up a Time Bank for example. Learn about Local money (also known as local currencies or complementary currencies) which is an approach to trading using voluntary vouchers (like \\u201cgreen dollars\\u201d) or tokens (print or electronic) instead of legal tender (such as New Zealand Dollars). Project Lyttelton have over 700 people with their time bank for example. Project Lyttelton a very good role model \\xa0 We also learn that Project Lyttelton was very prepared for the devastating Earthquake that struck Christchurch in 2011 and they were pivotal in saving lives, because they had a telephone tree and so many people knew each other and being experienced in cooperation that the Civil Defence HQ recommend that all communities follow the way Project Lyttelton has gone about pulling the strings of community together. Project Lyttelton received letters of thank you from the NZ Police, St Johns Ambulance, the Fire Brigade, the NZ Navy and especially Civil Defence, due to the fact they were able to mobilise rapidly and work tirelessly for the benefit of the community. https://www.ourplanet.org/greenplanetfm/margaret-jefferies-project-lyttleton-sustainable-community-building-christchurch Neighbourly - Lisa says this is important for us to either be aware of and or join. https://www.neighbourly.co.nz/?gclid=EAIaIQobChMI8ZaZwPXP4QIVSyQrCh1j7wMjEAAYASAAEgKJ_fD_BwE Get Through - is a New Zealand Government sponsored website giving pointers to prepare ourselves for emergencies and other contingencies with at least 3 days of water, 3 days with of food and other preparations, like First Aid kits, batteries for radios, etc . This is good preparation for storms or earthquakes. http://getthru.govt.nz We Need a Champion It would be good to have a New Zealander of sufficient mana to champion the need for a secure long term future to both Local and Central Government. Please assist us in finding this champion. Lisa also mentions what other future challenges there are. Insect collapse - If we carry on the same agricultural and chemical practices scientists state that 100 years out we will be in a dire situation, so we need to stop using pesticides and herbicides. The drop in numbers of bees and Monarch butterflies is showing us we are taking down our future. Note that there are no insects on your car windscreen or moths at night or when you do not draw the curtains or close the blinds. Why? Get off insecticides Neonicotinoids is the number one culprit for the decline of bees. https://www.beyondpesticides.org/programs/bee-protective-pollinators-and-pesticides/chemicals-implicated Go organic but first transition via Biological and Regenerative agriculture. Do a search in GreenplanetFM.com Now that France has finally banned glyphosate and now Monsanto products. Can NZ follow? Lisa mentions Auckland Council contractors are using glyphosate which is very problematic, but so are home owners and farmers. Glyphosate / Roundup is a disaster. It is contaminating our food and killing grasses and weeds where insect lavae live and birds feed, and is now found in our bodies owing to its prevalent use. Sikkim in India goes organic. The state of Sikkim gets a jump on NZ agriculture. Why can\\u2019t NZ follow? https://www.indiatoday.in/education-today/gk-current-affairs/story/sikkim-becomes-world-s-first-organic-state-wins-oscar-for-best-policies-by-un-1369158-2018-10-16 Lisa also mentions possible economic collapse. Some people are keen to go self sufficient but how do old people and retirement villages survive such challenges. Not everyone is young enough or fit enough to grow their own food. What are the contingency plans for those who can\\u2019t do their own gardening, and if there is flood, fire or drought, growing our own food wouldn\\u2019t be much help anyway. Tim mentions that all the parks and golf courses in cities can be dug up and put into gardens - realising that the golf course greens would be very chemically toxic. But, this could be doable in a prolonged emergency. There were many other interesting subjects mentioned in this interview. Lisa talks about strong visionary leadership that can direct what needs to be done to manage the future. She says we must prepare now and not wait until it is too late. She says a government Think Tank, or similar, is needed to study where this country is insecure. New Zealand must be self sufficient in food, go local, and be prepared to cope not only with our own climate migrants, but with those from overseas. Climate change will transform more than 143 million people into \\u201cclimate migrants\\u201d escaping crop failure, water scarcity, and sea-level rise, a new World Bank report concludes. See here - https://news.nationalgeographic.com/2018/03/climate-migrants-report-world-bank-spd/ On Facebook - Survival Movement NZ - Lisa invites people to participate. https://www.facebook.com/groups/470181836848018/"