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Environment

Categories under Environment

Truth-telling and The New Climate Denial

Written By: - Date published: 2:03 am, August 4th, 2019 - 170 comments

James Shaw lays it out in his AGM speech: the new climate denial sounds reasonable and is the gravest danger we currently face.

Memo from Crosby Textor – fake news

Written By: - Date published: 9:06 am, August 2nd, 2019 - 19 comments

The Standard has obtained an internal memo from CTF Partners (formerly Crosby Textor) where it responds to allegations that it is a kindergarden for the rich children of Conservative Party donors, has engaged in misogynist behavior and ran anti and pro cycle astroturf campaigns to get a cycleway moved from near a client’s business premises to near an opponent’s premises.

Embark 2019

Written By: - Date published: 8:05 am, July 29th, 2019 - 99 comments

Last week the Embark 2019 conference involved corporations discussing what they can do to address climate change.

Jacindamania

Written By: - Date published: 8:01 am, July 28th, 2019 - 138 comments

Despite the babies and the engagements, maybe it’s time to ditch the default Jacindamania.

National’s ranks are cracking about climate change

Written By: - Date published: 7:36 am, July 22nd, 2019 - 90 comments

National Climate Change spokesperson Todd Muller has publicly stated that he is broadly supportive of the Government’s proposed EV incentive policy.

The strait of Hormuz

Written By: - Date published: 8:44 am, July 20th, 2019 - 49 comments

With the seizing of an oil tanker by Iran in the Strait of Hormuz today as a presumably tit-for-tat escalation for British seizing an Iranian ship, and the U.S. Navy harassing their coastline, we are in for a senseless and dangerous political escalation.

There is no climate emergency according to National

Written By: - Date published: 10:59 am, July 19th, 2019 - 194 comments

Simon Wilson has suggested in the the Herald this morning that for purely political reasons National will frustrate and stymie action on climate change

Brian Easton on methane

Written By: - Date published: 9:14 am, July 18th, 2019 - 4 comments

Brian Easton has put up a interesting post at Pundit which looks at how we should measure and constrain in our methane emissions. My initial impression is that his approach defeats the purpose of trying to reduce the effects of climate change over the coming century.

Matata

Written By: - Date published: 9:00 am, July 18th, 2019 - 44 comments

Many a bold claim has been made for the necessity of responding to climate change, but when it comes to storms affecting one’s own home, Matata is surely the test case of this century.

Sometimes explaining is not losing

Written By: - Date published: 8:03 am, July 18th, 2019 - 98 comments

Stacey Kirk thinks that Julie Anne Genter should not have criticised National’s spin on the Government’s fuel efficient importation policy but forgets to do her basic job of analysing National’s spin.

Dinosaurs Fight Extinction Rebellion

Written By: - Date published: 12:46 am, July 17th, 2019 - 181 comments

Dinosaurs are speeding up our extinction.

Watching the rain radar

Written By: - Date published: 8:46 am, July 16th, 2019 - 35 comments

lumos helmet

Of all of the inventions that currently make riding bikes safer and more convenient in urban environments, I’d have to say that the rain radar would be number four on my list.

D Day for ETS?

Written By: - Date published: 8:32 am, July 16th, 2019 - 75 comments

There are rumours that the Interim Climate Change Committee will propose that agriculture is included in the Emissions Trading Scheme as an interim measure to allow a levy/rebate system that can operate at a farm level.

 

A Good Week for Conservation

Written By: - Date published: 7:26 am, July 15th, 2019 - 10 comments

Three big, bold moves for conserving nature and expanding our awareness of it were announced inn the last week. All of them led by Minister Eugenie Sage.

Simon Bridges Going Blue in the Face Barking at Green Cars

Written By: - Date published: 3:48 pm, July 14th, 2019 - 51 comments

Simon Bridges is barking madly at green cars.

Toll by Stealth

Written By: - Date published: 4:17 pm, July 13th, 2019 - 52 comments

A tunnel is like a wormhole to another dimension. It changes people’s behaviour ever so slightly, ever so briefly, without them realising.

Submit or surrender

Written By: - Date published: 8:02 am, July 11th, 2019 - 33 comments

The submission period for the Zero Carbon Bill closes shortly.  Please make a submission.  This may be the New Zealand Goverment’s last chance to put in place measures to get us to carbon neutrality in time to make a difference.

Guest post – Bucking the trend at ECAN

Written By: - Date published: 8:47 am, July 10th, 2019 - 26 comments

A guest post from Anthony Rimell about a very disturbing attempt by ECAN to allow the levels of nitrate leach into Christchurch’s water supply to increase.

Government plans to disincentivise purchase of gas guzzlers

Written By: - Date published: 7:45 am, July 9th, 2019 - 134 comments

Julie Anne Genter has released a policy document proposing rebates for the purchase of electric and fuel efficient vehicles funded by a surcharge on gas guzzlers to start the transition of our vehicle fleet to carbon neutrality.

With enough trees …

Written By: - Date published: 9:44 am, July 6th, 2019 - 65 comments

Recent scientific analysis has suggested the planting of a trillion trees is feasible and may go a long way to addressing the effects of climate change.

On my reliable commute and dipshits like Mike Hosking

Written By: - Date published: 9:24 am, July 5th, 2019 - 38 comments

Traffic and parking in Auckland isn’t helped by ignorant conservative dipshit parasitic immigrants like Mike Hosking.  They really don’t get how this city can’t just keep adding roads as the roads backup after accidents. Or why it is so much safer for ratepayer cyclists to not have to contend motorists trying to accidentally kill them.

Southland and Thames think they don’t have climate crises

Written By: - Date published: 8:21 am, July 4th, 2019 - 163 comments

Regular Standard contributor Robert Guyton put up a great fight but has failed to persuade the dinosaurs on Environment Southland to declare a climate emergency.

Tamihere wants to privatise half of Watercare

Written By: - Date published: 8:33 am, July 3rd, 2019 - 98 comments

John Tamihere has caused jaws throughout the region to drop by proposing that half of Watercare is privatised.

100% carbon free power generation?

Written By: - Date published: 7:30 am, June 26th, 2019 - 77 comments

The Interim Climate Change Commission has come out saying that making our electricity generation 100% renewable would be really expensive and that that expense would land on the poor of New Zealand. But the Government has already indicated it could be flexible on the target. ICCC should be helping us plan, not throwing road blocks in the way.

The strange case of the missing Oregon Republican State senators

Written By: - Date published: 1:45 pm, June 24th, 2019 - 67 comments

Republican State Senators in the state of Oregon have headed for the hills and are being protected by a local nut job militia in an effort to thwart the democratically elected majority from doing passing a law to address climate change.

Greenland is melting – faster

Written By: - Date published: 9:17 am, June 19th, 2019 - 82 comments

Greenland holds a large store of fresh water. If fully melted, it will raise sea levels by roughly 7 metres. It is melting – fast. Last week, temperatures across Greenland about 22 degrees Celsius warmer than the normal for that time of year. It produced an extraordinary visual effect of dogs walking on water through surface melt over sea ice.

Three disturbingly different views on climate change

Written By: - Date published: 2:10 pm, June 10th, 2019 - 63 comments

In the same week that Donald Trump said that the American climate was the cleanest climate, Ian Dunlop, former chairman of the Australian Coal Association, has warned of massive social consequences ranging from increased religious fervour to outright chaos. And UK Chancellor Philip Hammond is questioning if remedial action is affordable.

Politics is like a Traffic Jam

Written By: - Date published: 7:00 am, June 9th, 2019 - 45 comments

Traffic jams are frustrating, waste time and money, have no cause or purpose, and they are all the same.

A Confession.

Written By: - Date published: 5:10 am, June 7th, 2019 - 174 comments

I confess that I wear underpants and that my body is exactly like Dan Carter’s – except maybe for some details around shape and size.

The false left anti road narrative

Written By: - Date published: 8:24 am, May 28th, 2019 - 26 comments

Shane Te Pou has claimed that the Government is anti road and pro bike lane and light rail.  But a look at the Government’s spending priorities suggests that roads still dominate.

Will the Christian Conservatives rise again?

Written By: - Date published: 11:07 am, May 20th, 2019 - 78 comments

Simon Bridges has conceded that his claim that talk about Alfred Ngaro setting up a conservative party was “rumour and speculation” was not actually true.  And Ngaro has gone on the offensive describing abortion as an unholy holocaust.