Johno Smith explains why he tried to save the Titirangi Kauri
Johno Smith has appeared in the Waitakere District Court and has pleaded guilty to trespass. He has set out his reasons for trespassing in an effort to save an ancient Kauri.
Environment
Not all research is created equal
A recent “research” report on alcohol, funded by brewing company Lion, has been in the news lately. Sadly, not everything that purports to be research is honest research.
Robin Grieve does not understand the IPCC report
The Herald has printed an opinion piece by ex ACT candidate Robin Grieve Robin Grieve which claims that the IPCC has said we have nothing to worry about climate change when a cursory reading of the report suggests otherwise. What is it with the quality of Herald opinion pieces presented by former ACT candidates?
The unexpected oil crisis
The world is currently facing a problem that even a few years ago was unthinkable. Oil is cheap and demand has dropped out of the market. What are the geopolitical implications of this?
Royal Bank of Scotland to investors: “Sell everything”
The Bank of Scotland has advised advised its clients to brace for a “cataclysmic year” and a global deflationary crisis.
National’s vision for New Zealand’s future
Stephen Joyce has had published an opinion piece in this morning’s Herald which extolls the virtue of free trade and ignores the pitfalls. Such as those shown this week when TransCanada sued the US Government for rejecting the Keystone XL pipeline contract.
The major world risks in 2016
Ad reviews Eurasia’s appraisal of global risks the world faces in 2016.
The great carbon credit swindle
On December 17, 2015 the Government released a series reports suggesting that New Zealand is complying with Kyoto Protocol obligations. A dig into the reports confirms however that the compliance is in name only and is for spin purposes rather than a real attempt at addressing the world’s most pressing problem.
We will always have Paris
COP21 provided welcome commitment by the world’s nations to do something meaningful about climate change. But this is not enough. So what next?
Summer break
Standardista authors are on summer break! There will be an Open Mike each day, but little or no other posting (unless an author feels particularly inspired). Here’s some summer reading suggestions – by all means add your own…
NZ and the emissions scams
I/S at No Right Turn did some excellent work yesterday on the scams that underly New Zealand’s claims to be meeting its emissions targets.
The ink wasn’t dry on COP21 when…
Apparently solar panels suck up all the sun’s energy and cause cancer
Elected representatives in Woodland North Carolina were persuaded by arguments that solar panels were sucking up all of the sun’s energy, were preventing plants from photosynthesising and were causing cancer to ban a proposed solar panel farm.
Rhetoric and reality: Nats on climate change
The Nats want to wallow in the feel-good rhetoric of COP21 action to address climate change. But it’s clear that they don’t intend to take the “ambitious action” they are heralding.
John Key is relaxed about COP21
The Government has responded to the COP21 convention agreement with the suggestion that little will need to change. And John Key has put the likely annual cost of fulfilling our pledge at less than a tenth of the figure that Tim Groser has used.
COP21 – More than we expected, less that we needed
The dust is settling on COP21. After some initial optimism based on early reports, it’s clear that we didn’t get what we needed from Paris.
On Shooting the Messenger
Over the past decade we have seen sophisticated attacks against academics and NGOs who challenge government or industry. These attacks often appear organic in nature, but many times are in fact concerted efforts by the powerful.
COP21 and the implications for New Zealand
COP21 has set the benchmark, no greater than 1.5 degrees increase in global temperatures. But current national pledges suggest that the world is on track for at least 3 degrees. And if New Zealand’s effort was replicated throughout the world the increase would be more like 4 degrees or more. So what should New Zealand be doing?
COP21 making history
Big news from COP21 in Paris, with a final draft of the agreement just released. It is sounding surprisingly good, 1.5 degree target, “fair, durable, balanced and legally-binding”.
Sua William Sio: COP21 and the Pacific Islands
Labour MP and associate spokesperson for Foreign Affairs (Pacific Climate Change) Sua William Sio describes the repercussions of a COP21 conference that does not agree to limiting global temperature increases to 1.5 degrees.
New Zealand wins fossil of the day award – again
For a small country New Zealand is certainly punching above its weight. It has been awarded a second fossil of the day award by the Climate Action Network.
Paula Bennett, Climate Change Minister?
Despite having no scientific background, no relevant experience and no related portfolios Paula Bennett is the new Minister in charge of Climate Change Issues.
Hard Numbers to Remember.
This post is essentially a distillation of two presentations given by Kevin Anderson at the Earth 101 gathering in Iceland earlier this year. You can view them here and here I highly recommend that you do as they are packed with high quality, no nonsense information. For those who don’t know, Kevin Anderson was the director of the Tyndall Centre, the UK’s leading academic climate change research organization and is a professor of energy and climate change in the School of Mechanical, Aeronautical and Civil Engineering at the University of Manchester.
The Anthropocene
Heavy flooding in Chennai and the North of England is the latest in a long line of recent extreme weather events. Welcome to the Anthropocene.
Rabblerave: New Zealand’s Next Top Model Politician
Invisiphilia analyses events of last week where environmental collective responsibility is finally gaining control over neo-liberalist philosophy and the old notion of an environmentalist being a sandal wearing, mong bean eaters has finally been given a decent burial.
TiSA reduces COP21 to a charade
That National Ltd™ is currently in the process of giving away New Zealand’s sovereignty in areas such as energy resources and related regulations, explains its contempt for the environment and the talking down of expectations regarding climate change.
Helen Clark on A Zero-Carbon Future
Good piece by Helen Clark on Huff Post: “Paris must be a catalyst for stepped up climate action. The world must move towards a zero-carbon future. There is no room for short-sightedness or a lack of ambition.”
As we bind ourselves with the TPP, so other countries will fill the need
Reeling from tough produce sanctions, Russia will pursue a strategy as the world’s largest supplier of ‘ecologically clean’ food. And where is NZ?
#Sheepgate – but wait there’s more
At the same time that there is an Auditor General’s investigation into the appropriateness of the Government spend on the sheep farm in the middle of a Saudi desert the Government has announced a further spend of $2.6 million on a kit set abattoir. And the resumption of live exports by ship may be in the pipeline.
Morgan on Key’s climate change cheat
Gareth Morgan calls Key out as a climate change cheat, and concludes that “We are dangerously close to being laughed out of Paris”.
Dunedin leads the way
On carbon emissions I don’t have any hope for NZ under National, which is still stuck in a stupid fossil fuel mentality. I do have hope for the people, organisations, and regions within NZ who are collectively taking action. And I’m proud that my home of Dunedin is leading the way.
Mopping up the fossil fuels subsidy shame
McClay said he could not answer the specific question because he had “been advised” no such data exists.
How convenient.
The great greenhouse gas research funding switcherooni
John Key has announced an increase in funding on research into the reduction of agricultural emissions of greenhouse gasses of $20 million over four years or $5 million a year. Which is the amount the Government cut from this research two months ago.
Coleman to regulate high sugar industry
Health Minister Jonathan Coleman said there is a voluntary regime in place for the manufacture and sale of high sugar food but where there is is self regulation it is often ignored.
Because of the danger high sugar foods potentially pose it’s important to have a regulatory body and licensing/education regime to ensure manufacturers and retailers only provide food that has healthy outcomes.
The official New Zealand COP21 negotiating guide
The Youth Delegation at COP 21 has secured a copy of the Government’s negotiation guide and has published it …
The ALP’s climate change emissions reduction target
The Australian Labor Party will today announce its goals for emissions reduction with a plan for zero carbon emissions by 2050.