Does the West Coast Regional Council Exist?
Does the West Coast Regional Council actually exist? Te Reo Putake’s submission on the Zero Carbon Bill says the science is unproven.
Environment
Conservation
How To Get There 13/1/19
Welcome to TS’s Sunday think piece. It’s a blank sheet, a tabula rasa, waiting for your thoughts on the future and How To Get There.
How To Get There 6/1/19
Welcome to TS’s Sunday think piece. It’s a blank sheet, a tabula rasa, waiting for your thoughts on the future and How To Get There.
What can we do about climate change – air travel emission offset
How do you reconcile your desire to do what you can about climate change with taking air travel?
You are stealing our future
In a powerful speech a young 15 year old woman from Sweden has told the world’s leaders why action against climate change is urgent and that if the political system is preventing the necessary action from being taken then it is time for system change.
Judith is getting ready
Judith Collins appears to be ramping up a leadership campaign using Fox News type references to climate change, social change and young people.
Extinction Rebellion
In the United Kingdom, Extinction Rebellion, a new mass direct-action group modeled on Occupy, has emerged with the goal of forcing the Government to take urgent action on climate change.
Another reminder that climate change is happening
Hurricane Michael is exactly the sort of weather event that climate change scientists predicted would occur because of climate change.
Petrol, Zero Carbon, and 15,000 Submissions
Get ready, according to the AA, for petrol at $3 a liter for Christmas.
At least Labour wants to save the planet
The Government is consulting on changes to the Crown Minerals (Petroleum) Amendment Bill to prevent further offshore drilling permits being issued. Locally the right are saying it will make things worse. And in the US of A the Trump administration has conceded that out of control climate change is inevitable.
National is now barking at Tahrs
National has launched an online petition against the culling of Tahrs, an animal that has been culled for years pursuant to a plan that was finalised by National in 1993.
Norway’s plastic bottle recycling
Norway’s recycling policies are that good that it is in serious need of more rubbish.
No Waimea dam
With the change in Government and ever increasing costs of construction it appears that the Waimea dam project in Tasman District is going to be scuppered.
The zero carbon bill
The Ministry for the Environment has released a discussion paper on a Zero Carbon Bill. But one proposal is to exempt methane which would mean that effectively half of New Zealand’s greenhouse gasses would not be subject to limitation.
Sage refuses permission to mine conservation land
Conservation Minister Eugenie Sage has incurred attacks from the right by refusing to allow the desecration of conservation land on the West Coast.
In defence of Eugenie Sage
Eugenie Sage has been criticised for granting OIO consent to the foreign buy out of a water bottling company and a piece of sensitive land. But from the looks of the details that have been released she may have had no choice.
Reclaiming the Mountain
Central and local Government have announced new funding for projects to preserve and enhance the natural environment in Taranaki.
It’s Time for a Cost-Benefit Analysis of Dairy Farming
Not just, ‘we’ve got to make the good outweigh the bad’. I mean: why should dairy farming exist here?
Deep Trawling.
Is NZ’s fishing industry just a domestic version of the tobacco companies? And how much would that really matter?
Some Trash.
Being anti-plastic is all the rage these days. How might business respond?
Hey Stuart Nash Maui’s Dolphins are approaching extinction
Fonterra and Fletcher Building
New Zealand only has two businesses of world-competitive scale that are also majority owned by New Zealanders: Fonterra, and Fletcher Building. And they appear to have lost their way and put much of their value and our wellbeing at risk.
Two Labour Governments, two coal mines
The New Zealand Government has rejected the OIO’s proposal to allow Bathurst to purchase DOC land for coal mining purposes. And in Australia the Queensland Labor Government is working out how it can back out of an agreement to permit the Adani coal mine to proceed.
High Country selloff scandal laid bare
A feature in yesterday’s Domion Post Weekend lays bare the extent of the scandalous selloff of huge tracts of our high country. The tenure review of the high country has been conducted since 1992 to privatise some of the land and also bringing parts into the conservation estate. The process has been followed by both National and Labour governments.
Guest Post: Monbiot, Attenborough and Soper on environmental collapse
Guest post by Ed about the intellectual rigour of George Monbiot and David Attenborough and the rater strange response of Barry Soper.
Labour and rural voters
In recent years Labour has allowed National to dominate rural politics. Maybe it is time for Labour to think about reaching out to rural voters and suggest to them that a progressive vote is in their interests.
Auckland’s impending environmental crisis
Unless Auckland Council finds more funding for the environment the predictions for what will happen are dire.
The Green Party on 1080 and predator control
Let’s clear up some misconceptions about the Green Party’s Conservation Policy.
The environmental open letter to political party leaders
Climate, water, conservation. Whoever forms government now has a citizenry with high expectations for the environment.
Mike Joy honoured and Ecan occupied
The inaugural Critic and Conscience of Society Award is given to Dr Mike Joy, and protestors take their protest to Environment Canterbury .
Plant trees, love NZ: the Greens’ bold Climate Protection Plan
The Greens have a comprehensive, detailed plan for NZ on what to do about climate change that works through transforming the economy, ending poverty, and protecting the environment.
The Green Party plans to protect marine mammals and ecosystems
In Government the the Greens will create a blue whale sanctuary and a local ecotourism industry – to replace seabed mining and oil and gas.
Labour’s water policy – Clean rivers for future generations
Labour has announced its water policy. Details include higher swimming water quality standards, a work task force to get young people off the dole replanting riperian margins and charges for commercial consumers with the royalties being paid to regional councils.
ACT wants to subdivide the Waitakere Ranges (or at least the foothills)
Act has announced a policy that would undermine current protection given to the Waitakere Ranges. If it gets a chance …
The Catholic Church is urging its parishoners to vote
The catholic bishops of Aotearoa have released a pamphlet urging parishoners to vote. And apart from conservative positions on euthenasia and drug liberalisation the policies they support have a decidedly progressive bent.
Waimea a good dam?
The proposed Waimea Dam in Nelson is attracting opposition from the Green Party but support from the Labour Party. Is there such a thing as a good dam project?