The Standard

Environment

Categories under Environment

In defence of Eugenie Sage

Written By: - Date published: 7:28 am, June 15th, 2018 - 154 comments

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!

Written By: - Date published: 11:30 am, June 14th, 2018 - 19 comments

…on reclaimed land. (Dunedin) – because water features are nice things to have.

Killing Them Softly With…

Written By: - Date published: 10:24 am, June 11th, 2018 - 48 comments

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?

Written By: - Date published: 11:47 am, June 10th, 2018 - 125 comments

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

Written By: - Date published: 8:00 am, June 8th, 2018 - 43 comments

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.

Written By: - Date published: 11:57 am, June 2nd, 2018 - 54 comments

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

Written By: - Date published: 7:17 am, June 1st, 2018 - 19 comments

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

Written By: - Date published: 7:42 am, May 29th, 2018 - 166 comments

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

Written By: - Date published: 8:00 am, May 25th, 2018 - 53 comments

New Zealand has a low carbon energy future plan.  What is the strategy to achieve this?

A study in contrasts

Written By: - Date published: 6:32 pm, May 24th, 2018 - 120 comments

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.

Written By: - Date published: 9:14 am, May 24th, 2018 - 21 comments

Is NZ’s fishing industry just a domestic version of the tobacco companies? And how much would that really matter?

Wipeout

Written By: - Date published: 10:04 am, May 21st, 2018 - 31 comments

How many wake up calls does it take?

Doofus of the week May 12, 2018

Written By: - Date published: 12:00 pm, May 12th, 2018 - 62 comments

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?

Written By: - Date published: 3:18 pm, May 11th, 2018 - 51 comments

And would you send your child off to a party in a driverless car?

Dunedin Hospital

Written By: - Date published: 10:02 am, May 8th, 2018 - 22 comments

Yes, Dunedin needs a new hospital, but…

A Great Business Opportunity

Written By: - Date published: 10:03 am, May 6th, 2018 - 55 comments

410 ppm. And rising.

National is yeah nah on climate change

Written By: - Date published: 8:21 am, April 30th, 2018 - 34 comments

National’s Blue Green conference on the weekend suggests that the party has moved on from outright denial that cliamte change exists to grudging acceptance that it is a phenomenon but “balance” requires that it is tolerated.

National’s fiscal ineptitude over Auckland transport

Written By: - Date published: 9:03 am, April 29th, 2018 - 32 comments

National has responded to Labour’s ATAP proposal by refusing to accept there is a problem, drumming up anti Auckland resentment in the rest of the country and claiming they would have done the same thing.

The Big Auckland Transport announcement

Written By: - Date published: 1:30 pm, April 26th, 2018 - 39 comments

Minister Phil Twyford and Mayor Phil Goff announced the ATAP, the transport programme for Auckland for the next ten years. At $28 billion it is the largest civil infrastructure programme since World War II.

Why Can’t We Hold Vector Accountable?

Written By: - Date published: 8:28 am, April 19th, 2018 - 85 comments

For those of us who were without electricity to their houses in Auckland for several days, it’s worth turning our thoughts to Vector.

Global finance and climate change

Written By: - Date published: 9:00 am, April 14th, 2018 - 18 comments

The two greatest powers at work in the world right now are the roles of global finance, and climate change. In New Zealand we don’t yet see how these intersecting worlds of finance and climate change are interacting, or the government’s role in forming that interaction. But this is close.

Dear Judith burning Oil and Gas is the worst thing for the climate

Written By: - Date published: 8:45 am, April 14th, 2018 - 73 comments

National now seems to adopt the position that climate change is real and has to be addressed.  But it is refusing to accept that to address the problem New Zealand is going to have to give up its reliance on oil and gas.

Ice

Written By: - Date published: 12:17 pm, April 13th, 2018 - 35 comments

There’s something about Antarctica…

Government blocks off shore oil and gas drilling

Written By: - Date published: 10:13 am, April 12th, 2018 - 158 comments

The Government has announced that there will be no new offshore oil and gas exploration permits issued under the block offer process.

Doofus of the week – April 7, 2018

Written By: - Date published: 8:00 am, April 8th, 2018 - 17 comments

Another easy decision. Gerry Brownlee wins for overseeing a $210 million blow out in EWC’s liability for Christchurch earthquake re-repair work and for being upset when Megan Woods called him on it.

Regrets, John Key’s had a few *

Written By: - Date published: 8:00 am, April 6th, 2018 - 43 comments

or more accurately one.  A failed vanity flag referendum.

Northland politicians want to drop more trucks into Auckland

Written By: - Date published: 6:24 am, April 5th, 2018 - 75 comments

Politik reports that some mayors from Northalnd are upset that they aren’t going to get a four lane boondoggle to feed more heavy trucks into traffic chaos that is the Auckland isthmus. They can stick their trucks up their body cavity of choice and learn to love rail. We don’t need more traffic in Auckland until we fix the disaster that National have left us.

Labour aims to make transport system more sustainable

Written By: - Date published: 1:03 pm, April 4th, 2018 - 89 comments

The Government has released a draft Government Policy Statement on Transport for consultation.  A radical shake up of the Transport system is being proposed.

Climate 2050

Written By: - Date published: 6:30 am, March 30th, 2018 - 11 comments

Highlights from the Climate 2050 event in Wellington last night.

End Oil

Written By: - Date published: 6:05 am, March 30th, 2018 - 9 comments

Gareth Hughes explains in just over 1 minute why we can’t use the fossil fuels we’ve already found, let alone any we might go exploring for.

Megan Woods’ speech to the Petroleum Conference

Written By: - Date published: 12:49 pm, March 29th, 2018 - 18 comments

The text of Energy Minister Megan Woods’ speech to the recent petroleum conference where she outlined the Government’s approach to the oil industry and the Government’s intention to achieve sustainable change.