Written By: - Date published: 9:05 am, February 23rd, 2013 - 15 comments
I/S from No Right Turn describes another brick in National’s wall of stupid. “New Zealand will be locked out of the international carbon market in retaliation for our refusal to sign up for Kyoto’s Second Commitment period.”
Written By: - Date published: 12:11 pm, February 22nd, 2013 - 41 comments
The Government is currently attempting for a second time to remove blanket tree protection from Auckland’s district plan. Submissions close on February 28, 2013 – Greg Presland tells us why and how you can have your say.
Written By: - Date published: 7:00 am, February 22nd, 2013 - 22 comments
Today is the second anniversary of the most destructive of the Christchurch earthquakes. Condolences to the friends and families of the dead. Greetings to all who lived through it and remember. Commiserations to those who have been forgotten by this government…
Written By: - Date published: 10:52 am, February 20th, 2013 - 25 comments
George Monbiot exposes how well-funded right wing ‘think tanks’ and individuals operate through networks including the AEI, IEA & Koch. These have links to the NZ Initiative (BRT & NZ Institute). The coming DailyBlog may help challenge such influential networks and their destructive ‘neoliberal’ politics.
Written By: - Date published: 5:48 pm, February 14th, 2013 - 9 comments
Forest and Bird need you to get out and count Kereru.
Written By: - Date published: 9:45 am, February 14th, 2013 - 38 comments
The first State of the Union of Obama’s second term was widely anticipated. As many hoped, Obama made a strong statement on climate change. Good start – now let’s see words become actions – please…
Written By: - Date published: 12:28 pm, February 11th, 2013 - 90 comments
There’s a lot of talk about the benefits of moving to a green, sustainable economy but details on what that looks like in practice in New Zealand are often frustratingly thin. Greenpeace is releasing a report – The Future is Here – that puts meat on the bones. The main thing is getting us off expensive, polluting, imported oil and on to clean, local energy.
Written By: - Date published: 8:05 am, February 9th, 2013 - 70 comments
Greenpeace activists were fined and ordered to do Community Service – for serving the global community by protesting about Climate Change & the oil industry. Others get honours like knighthoods for services that are damaging for the majority in the community. Misplaced values? [update] RNZ interview with Lucy Lawless.
Written By: - Date published: 9:42 am, February 8th, 2013 - 32 comments
Yesterday the New Plymouth District court sentenced eight Greenpeace activists for their actions last year, in a protest against Arctic oil exploration. I think we all owe these activists a vote of thanks (and I think the Court’s judgement was pretty reasonable on this occasion).
Written By: - Date published: 12:14 pm, February 7th, 2013 - 35 comments
No Right Turn with the latest on National’s ongoing annexation of Canterbury.
Written By: - Date published: 12:05 pm, January 30th, 2013 - 54 comments
Debates on the PM’s statement to the House show that this do-nothing government needs to go. Plenty of good ideas from opposition MPs. An excellent speech by Genter against Joyce’s ‘Roads of Madness’ & for public transport.
Written By: - Date published: 12:41 pm, January 29th, 2013 - 42 comments
The Greens, I’m in for the Future, is a promising initiative. The Greens’ focus on Auckland transport will be a great start. To end the “neoliberal” dominance, it is necessary to apply pressure from below. What can we learn from Canadian anti-“neoliberal” groups like Common Causes & Idle No More? [Updated]
Written By: - Date published: 4:23 pm, January 28th, 2013 - 58 comments
Over the next few decades more and more countries are going to be facing a difficult question. At what point do repeated extreme weather events make previously settled regions untenable?
Written By: - Date published: 8:21 am, January 27th, 2013 - 109 comments
For once lately, I agree with Matt McCarten on the Green Party being Centre Stage this week: a housing policy for renters and buyers on low incomes, including state housing. Memorable speech at Ratana by Turei. Today: Picnic for the Planet, State of the Planet speech & the launch of a new “I’m in – for the future” initiative.
Written By: - Date published: 8:30 am, January 25th, 2013 - 23 comments
Mana Party president, Annette Sykes could become an MP in the next election. The future of the Maori Party is in doubt. Hone Harawira is considering a Mana-Maori Party merger. Sykes is committed to left wing values, social justice, Maori land & water rights, and social & economic justice for Maori.
Written By: - Date published: 6:42 am, January 22nd, 2013 - 41 comments
The Greens have learned (via OIA) that National ignored its own official advice in canceling the standard five-yearly State of the Environment Report.
Written By: - Date published: 1:20 pm, January 21st, 2013 - 66 comments
I/S at No Right Turn on the Nats’ contempt for democracy in Canterbury. Elections remain on hold so that the commissioners’ agenda can be completed without unwelcome input from urban representation.
Written By: - Date published: 8:51 am, January 19th, 2013 - 12 comments
The Antarctic Ocean Alliance is hoping that Key’s experience in Antarctica will move him to join the effort to create a marine reserve there. Seems unlikely to me – but I hope that Key proves me wrong…
Written By: - Date published: 1:27 pm, January 14th, 2013 - 200 comments
Last year, in the Arctic, atmospheric CO2 concentrations were measured at 400ppm. If you search on line for historical CO2 levels, you’ll find a lot of comments that are of the opinion that 400ppm CO2 last occurred about 800 000 years ago…or maybe just a bit longer. The implication is that since that’s well within the span of human existence it doesn’t really matter too much. It’s fine; we’ve been here before.
Written By: - Date published: 3:44 pm, January 11th, 2013 - 6 comments
This Sunday hip hop artist and political activist Darius Mirshahi will be speaking in Auckland about the political situation in Canada and how the left are organising to resist Neo-Liberalism. Later he will be performing material which has lead to attention from Glen Beck and the Canadian police.
Written By: - Date published: 8:04 am, January 9th, 2013 - 54 comments
The wildfires in Australia are an immediate cause for concern. Such events will be more common as average temperatures rise. Joseph Stigliz warns of an urgent need for structural change to respond to economic decline, climate change, poverty and inequality.
Written By: - Date published: 8:58 pm, January 3rd, 2013 - 38 comments
Federated Farmers pushed out a press release the other day calling for NZ to both have more population and to stop spreading urban areas out over farmland. MrSmith has a view on it.
Written By: - Date published: 5:06 pm, January 3rd, 2013 - 142 comments
A group of people interested in climate have put out a list of the most interesting climate events of 2012, which was a year that weather made more of the headlines than usual. It is likely that it will have been just a precursor to 2013 as the northern fridge disappears and the sun flares. The one certainty is that the IPCC AR4 report got it wrong – they were far too conservative about how fast climate change was happening.
Written By: - Date published: 10:58 am, January 2nd, 2013 - 12 comments
Over the last year some issues have been under-reported, some ignored: the climate/environment, subversive FBI activities, bankster rorts, decline of democracy, the need for new left & green politics. Some news has been overdramatised, some masks the real needs. And the “fiscal cliff”?
Written By: - Date published: 8:05 am, December 29th, 2012 - 93 comments
There’s been a couple of stories in the news over the last 24 hours that could do with some scrutiny: Treasury warns of asset sales over-load; potential sale of Oceania Dairy to an overseas company to set up a milk factory in NZ.
Written By: - Date published: 10:30 am, December 27th, 2012 - 49 comments
Today Al Jazeera News reported on the rise of collaborative consumption in Europe; from rent-a-present to car sharing. Just an extension of Trade Me or something bigger? How can sustainable practices of collaborative production, consumption and living be developed in NZ? [AJ Link added]
Written By: - Date published: 7:41 am, December 27th, 2012 - 74 comments
Another in an on going non-chronological series on options in the face of global warming.
Written By: - Date published: 10:00 am, December 23rd, 2012 - 47 comments
Individualism & “celebrity” PM, John Key were still strong in 2012. But, there was opposition from some (often local) groups working collaboratively: Occupy, Glen Innes protesters, MUNZ, Asset Sales referendum, AAAP advocacy activism, manufacturing inquiry, NZLP democratisation, TS nest of vipers. And 2013?
Written By: - Date published: 10:15 am, December 21st, 2012 - 56 comments
Humans have a paranoid fascination with our own demise, as seen in doomsday movies. They portray our fears, hopes, politics and delusions. Children of Men: the demise of capitalism; Day after Tomorrow: climate collapse. Is today a Mayan prediction of the end or a new beginning?
Written By: - Date published: 9:04 am, December 20th, 2012 - 221 comments
If you and I were told that (variously) our sons and daughters, grandchildren, nieces and nephews were going to be killed tomorrow, would I be right to suspect that we might sit up and take notice?
Written By: - Date published: 8:54 am, December 20th, 2012 - 14 comments
Wellington Council has voted to spend some time looking at a new alternative to the Basin Fly-over plan. The government’s response has been to threaten the council that other transport investment in Wellington will be scrapped unless they get their concrete monstrosity built. In related news, NZTA systemically under-estimates the costs and overstates the benefits of roading projects.
Recent Comments