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.
Environment
Climate change: what happens now?
How does humanity prepare for the realisation that humans only have perhaps fifty years left?
Racial bias in RNZ world reportage, or just giving people what they want?
GUEST POST:
Is Radio NZ meeting its obligations to report the news of the world fairly or is it just once over lightly at the public broadcaster? Some thoughts from regular TS contributor Adrian Thornton.
A Thousand Words
…in a single graph.
Who protects us from water companies?
New Zealand seriously needs a water regulator. Something that will show that each catchment can withstand having that much taken out of it, and that it is being sold for a fair price, and ensures everyone has access to beautiful-quality water.
Should we defend global institutions?
With the world facing environmental, economic and social crises now more than ever before is a time for strong international institutions.
Dan Bidois just wants to count cars
Rookie National MP Dan Bidois has chosen to get up early and count the number of cars using Northcote’s T3 traffic lane.
Was this summer, that summer?
A post about the jet stream and heatwaves.
A bit of a hit
Not everything can be attributed to climate change. But we’re in for a bit of a hit.
What is eating Mike Hosking?
Mike Hosking appears to have entered into a particularly dark time.
In Short…
A post puzzling over our collective state of mind in the face of incredible danger and suggesting the only course of action we can take. Covering our eyes and blocking our ears isn’t it.
Miners having a whale of a time
Ironsands Offshore Mining Ltd allowed to drill and extract bulk samples from the West Coast North Island Marine Mammal Sanctuary
Progress.
I don’t pay much attention to news channels these days, and realise this will have been all over the place in the shape of headlines and lead stories. So I’m sorry for simply echoing that which is already being amplified, but hey…
Congrats: fuel tax drive more trucks out of Auckland
Truck drivers are being to told to refuel outside of the Auckland regional fuel tax. Hopefully this will also mean that more of the excessively subsidised road destroying heavy vehicles will stay outside of our precious Auckland roads. But raising the Road User Charges in accordance to the general 4th power law would be more direct and have a better economic effect.
Petrol is going up, and up
Not all the current government’s fault, but the arrival of the fuel tax this weekend heralds a number of very sharp rises in what we have to pay in order to run a car.
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.
The War on Carbon
Or a conscientious objection to any War on Climate Change, or War on Global Warming.
Hosking poll shows overwhelming support for cycle lanes
Mike Hosking created an online poll which he must have thought would show opposition to cycleways but which has indicated that cycleways are very popular with Aucklanders.
A Question from a Room.
Take a look around the room you’re in. Or if you’re out and about and reading this on some mobile device, then take a look around the next room you enter. Closely.
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.
Does National really want climate change to be a bipartisan issue?
National has cautiously pledged to support the Government’s proposed Climate Change Commission. But is it looking for opportunities to delay or weaken urgent action that New Zealand needs to be taking now rather than signing up for urgent action being started now?
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.
Let’s Build a Hospital!
…on reclaimed land. (Dunedin) – because water features are nice things to have.
Killing Them Softly With…
In New Zealand there is sufficient evidence to show that poor peoples’ lives are cut short because of poverty related poor nutrition. While food banks are alleviating the worst impacts of hunger, their kindness may well be contributing to the problem. Food poverty is a systemic issue and requires a systemic response, a response that successive governments are able to avoid while charities continue to provide a buffer for the system.
Who gives a hooton about climate change?
Matthew Hooton and Fran O’Sullivan have claimed that the Government’s decision to ban off shore petroleum exploration is “Orwellian”, part of an attempt to divert attention from other issues, bad for the environment and bad for jobs. Are they right?
The Carbon Zero Legislation
If you have useful thoughts on how we should deal with climate change, now is the time not to have defeatist or pessimistic thoughts. Now is the time to put pen to paper and get your thoughts straight to James Shaw and help shape this legislation before the first draft hits Parliament.
Steaming cow poo.
Avoiding meat and dairy is ‘single biggest way’ to reduce your impact on Earth according to a Guardian headline.
Yeah. No it’s not.
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?
New Zealand’s Energy Future
New Zealand has a low carbon energy future plan. What is the strategy to achieve this?
A study in contrasts
Minister Twyford’s resignation has been refused by the Prime Minister after he took a call against Civil Aviation rules, in the second ministerial scandal of the Ardern administration.
Deep Trawling.
Is NZ’s fishing industry just a domestic version of the tobacco companies? And how much would that really matter?
Wipeout
How many wake up calls does it take?
Doofus of the week May 12, 2018
There was intense competition this week. Paula Bennett with her attack on Jacinda’s Spotify playlist almost won but Northcote candidate Dan Bidois succeeded for managing to talk out of both sides of his mouth at the same time and only confusing his tongue.
Would you step into a driverless car?
And would you send your child off to a party in a driverless car?
Dunedin Hospital
Yes, Dunedin needs a new hospital, but…