The Standard

Environment

Categories under Environment

A bit wet lately

Written By: - Date published: 12:31 pm, June 30th, 2016 - 105 comments

emmerson-climate-change

It’s a Side-show, “Bob”.

Written By: - Date published: 10:37 am, June 28th, 2016 - 279 comments

From the circus that never leaves town.

A Tale of Two Droughts

Written By: - Date published: 6:38 pm, June 22nd, 2016 - 44 comments

Climate change is now causing extreme dry weather events and is increasingly blamed for water shortages. But what we are doing on the ground has just as much influence on our experience of drought. As New Zealand farmers call for drought relief this winter, it’s time we looked at how we manage land and water, and the critical role this plays in whether humans can live with variable rainfall in the age of climate change. Here’s a stellar example from India.

When is a toll road not a toll road?

Written By: - Date published: 9:36 am, June 22nd, 2016 - 37 comments

When it is a variable network pricing mechanism …

Another shocking environmental record

Written By: - Date published: 10:28 am, June 21st, 2016 - 16 comments

The world’s news is full of new environmental records. Here’s a shocker.

This is what sustainable fishing looks like

Written By: - Date published: 10:10 am, June 15th, 2016 - 119 comments

It turns out there will be no jobs on a dead planet.” 

While New Zealand is struggling to maintain integrity around fishing and resource management, an ocean farmer in the US is leading the way in economic and ecologic sustainability. This is how we can do things differently.

Official climate change fraud

Written By: - Date published: 7:39 am, June 14th, 2016 - 136 comments

Scientists and experts have been knowingly understating the unfolding climate change catastrophe to governments and decision makers. Why? For the sake of what is “politically palatable”.

Scottish Parliament votes to ban fracking. 

Written By: - Date published: 3:14 pm, June 11th, 2016 - 60 comments

Imagine a country where the political divide is over whether to ban fracking outright or to be opposed to fracking but have a moratorium first in order to gather more evidence.

What now Paula?

Written By: - Date published: 9:09 am, June 7th, 2016 - 20 comments

Seeing is believing they say, and Paula Bennett says that she has taken on board the climate change message after a Pacific visit. So what now Paula? It’s a tough question for sure. But at least you’re blessed with an opposition that will cooperate, instead of trying to whip up people’s fears and obstruct progress for political gain.

Good News!

Written By: - Date published: 10:41 am, June 5th, 2016 - 158 comments

May figures just out…

“Our Plan to Change the Government”

Written By: - Date published: 11:07 pm, June 3rd, 2016 - 277 comments

The Green Party conference is on this weekend, with keynote speeches from Andrew Little and James Shaw on changing the government, and a centrepiece environmental campaign launch from Metiria Turei.

Vaccines DO Cause Autism Shock!

Written By: - Date published: 7:29 pm, June 2nd, 2016 - 266 comments

A young Mexican scientist has compiled compelling evidence about the link between vaccines and autism. Not only does 12 year old Marco Arturo provide a comprehensive overview of the dangers, he also brilliantly channels Barack Obama. The best two minutes on the net today.

Strategic Arse Elbow

Written By: - Date published: 7:46 am, June 2nd, 2016 - 135 comments

Today at about the same time the Government will turn the first sod of the city rail link and then announce more urban sprawl for Auckland.  This is the most massive policy and programme contradiction in a lifetime.

Fine for fox to guard henhouse – says fox

Written By: - Date published: 9:31 am, May 31st, 2016 - 26 comments

The Nats are happy for the fishing industry to effectively self-monitor, despite the fact that this has already been shown to be massively ineffective. In other news: John Key questioned on National’s closeness to fishing industry.

Indigenous Perspectives

Written By: - Date published: 1:55 pm, May 29th, 2016 - 30 comments

“It is possible to live in a society with a world view that does not include empire”

– Winona LaDuke

Trump In, Bern Out, Hillary Home and Hosed?

Written By: - Date published: 11:18 am, May 27th, 2016 - 196 comments

Donald Trump has finally got the last Republican delegates need to secure his candidacy. Bernie Sanders has lost his race (but is being pressured to stand as an independent). Now that the candidates are all but confirmed, the sideshow is over. It’s Clinton vs Drumpf in the most entertaining election in a generation.

The Mother Budget

Written By: - Date published: 6:21 pm, May 26th, 2016 - 89 comments

There are budgets and there are budgets. And for all the presence or absence of bright ideas, there’s a budget that threatens to subsume all others…

Greenhouse emissions taskforce

Written By: - Date published: 7:20 am, May 22nd, 2016 - 115 comments

With news that NZ’s greenhouse emissions are at a 25 year high the announcement of a new taskforce “to provide advice and ways in which we can drive down our emissions” is as welcome as it is overdue.

Climate change: time playing tricks

Written By: - Date published: 11:03 pm, May 21st, 2016 - 18 comments

A recap of the 2006 climate change documentary “Dimming the Sun” featuring NASA’s Jim Hansen. Time has definitely not been kind to us.

Europe 1 Dunedin 0

Written By: - Date published: 8:00 am, May 20th, 2016 - 79 comments

In Europe different communities and countries have managed to rely solely on renewable electricity sources, but in Dunedin some locals are fighting a community’s attempt to become sustainable.

We’re going to burn it all, until we burn it down.

Written By: - Date published: 12:11 am, May 20th, 2016 - 173 comments

What does it really mean to reduce NZ’s total fossil fuel use by 50% by 2030: a warm up discussion for an upcoming thought experiment.

Portugal

Written By: - Date published: 12:28 pm, May 19th, 2016 - 114 comments

There are bits of good news out there, but there’s a lot of denial around the mess we’re in.

A message for our anti-science government

Written By: - Date published: 3:00 pm, May 18th, 2016 - 37 comments

Here’s some more science for the government to hate on: “Paris climate agreement cannot be met without emissions reduction target for agriculture”.

Nice weather down here…

Written By: - Date published: 10:37 am, May 16th, 2016 - 183 comments

… and a freight train coming down the tracks.

NZ fishery catch 2.7 times reported – new study says

Written By: - Date published: 9:30 am, May 16th, 2016 - 15 comments

“The findings also reveal how the Quota Management System, despite its intentions and international reputation, actually undermines sustainable fisheries management by inadvertently incentivising misreporting and dumping,” University of Auckland’s Dr Glenn Simmons said.

Make the TPP a Conscience Vote

Written By: - Date published: 6:29 pm, May 15th, 2016 - 84 comments

Last week, Andrew Little gave Phil Goff permission to vote with National for the TPP. Bryan Bruce asks if it is time for all MPs to be given a conscience vote on the TPP.

Laundering earnings vs laundering money

Written By: - Date published: 4:49 pm, May 13th, 2016 - 35 comments

When a corporation launders its earnings in a tax haven, it is completely upfront about where the money came from and who it belongs to, which differentiates the activity from “money laundering.”

Break Free 2016

Written By: - Date published: 10:00 am, May 12th, 2016 - 60 comments

Break Free From Fossil Fuels. There are still events coming up in NZ, including today in Dunedin.

Silencing scientists integral to National’s anti-science DNA

Written By: - Date published: 1:34 pm, May 11th, 2016 - 40 comments

“It’s gone too far. The spin and message control has got stronger. They are less willing to put scientists out there to talk to the public because of the inability to control the message” – Shaun Hendy.

Logging truck roll overs meeting: Otaika Valley Hall tomorrow night!

Written By: - Date published: 12:06 pm, May 9th, 2016 - 19 comments

A fully laden logging truck tears up the road like thousands of cars. And when they keep rolling over around the corner, locals get very nervous and upset for themselves and their kids.

Alberta burning

Written By: - Date published: 7:29 am, May 8th, 2016 - 31 comments

The Canadian wildfire is “unprecedented” in its size and ferocity. There have been mass evacuations, and whole suburbs burnt out. Wildfires have doubled in Canada since the early 70’s – “And we’ve published work that states that this is because of human-caused climate change.”