Breathable air in Walthamstow
Back with family in London after Covid’s four years, much has changed. Most notably, the air in Walthamstow is breathable. Thanks to Labour Mayor Sadiq Khan’s emission zone tax, the change is remarkable.
science
climate change
Can’t we have more charging stations AND the clean car discount?
National’s proposal to increase the number of electric car charging stations is something that should be considered but not at the expense of the extraordinarily successful clean car discount.
CHL’s Tarras Airport Idea is Unbelievably Stupid
Queenstown Airport has over three decades generated a radial wealth local effect. The economic and social uplift has been massive. That doesn’t mean there will be similar economic benefits by building another one within just over an hours’ drive of the first one.
Four new taxes and a climate funeral
National’s announcement of four new taxes to fund tax cuts rely on herculean assumptions that will never be met. And their proposal for climate change will undermine the slow but steady progress the country has been making to meeting its emission reduction goals.
Labour should not cut spending on climate change
At a time when the effects of Climate Change are becoming pronounced now is not the time to cut spending on carbon reduction projects.
Critics of ‘degrowth’ economics say it’s unworkable – but from an ecologist’s perspective, it’s inevitable
Dr Mike Joy on the ecological imperative of degrowth
The other cost of living crisis
Our descendants will curse us
We Need to Talk About Blackrock
How come New Zealand got to build an entire electricity generating system that lasted for 70 years without much private capital from one massive dam to geothermal and all those pylons and substations and network systems without Blackrock?
The difference between Blackrock and China
Some big news yesterday as the Government announced a deal with US Investment Firm Blackrock for a $2 billion fund for renewable electricity projects.
Climate NGOs on the BlackRock deal
NGO responses to the government’s announcement yesterday of the deal with global investment management firm BlackRock, to fund 100% renewable electricity generation in New Zealand.
National is no nation builder
Nation building projects always take multiple terms, and the risk of Labour losing puts at risk some of the largest and most important we’ve seen in generations.
Climate weirding: the climate wild cards
“Unpredictable change is the new status quo”
Climate extremes make NZ’s supply chains highly vulnerable – it’s time to rethink how we grow and ship food
“It’s clear domestic food supply chains have been increasingly challenged by natural disasters and the ongoing impact of climate change.”
National’s latest policy: MOAR ROADS
National’s latest policy announcement shows that it has an unmistakable fetish for tar seal.
A letter to Chris Hipkins
My 2c on what I think Chris Hipkins needs to do to win this year’s election.
The very strange election campaign
With 98 days to go despite large parts of the electorate being very grumpy the polls are neck and neck and Labour can still win. This is what they have to do.
Climate: where we are heading
The United Nations University has released a sixteen minute film featuring world leading climate scientist and carbon budget specialist Professor Kevin Anderson talking about the utter catastrophe we are heading for if we don’t take radical action on climate now.
Don’t Stop
“Meanwhile, oil companies are enjoying record profits”
Greenpeace: Climate activist Rosemary Penwarden found guilty but remains undeterred
“We applaud Rosemary for standing up against big oil and gas.”
You can never have too many Teslas
Over recent periods National has run a very tightly focused campaign against state support for Tesla owners. But news that Christopher Luxon actively sought a Government supplied Tesla when he already owns one suggests that he thinks that the rules should be different for him.
How not to win votes and influence people
Christopher Luxon has gone onto the charm offensive by describing New Zealand as a negative, wet, whiny, inward looking country that has lost the plot.
Luxon, the idiot for whom ignorance is bliss
Last night I watched Christopher Luxon in a interview with Jack Tame on Q&A from youtube. My takeaway from it was that I don’t want this fool anywhere near actual policy. He exhibited a blissful ignorance about downstream effects of genetic engineering, climate change, and productivity in our economy. Even where I agreed with him like on GE – I didn’t want this idiot implementing policy on it.
National picks a fight over GE
National continues to appease Federated Farmers and has just announced a policy of easing up of restrictions and safeguards on Genetic Engineering.
The Case for Restoring Regional Rail
How does regional rail fit into the biggest story on the planet?
Stop Defending Regional Rail
Regional rail is a perpetual makework gig servicing the wrong economy and just needs to stop.
The real coalition of chaos
National has hatched on its attack line which we will hear about a lot over the next few months. But it may have a problem. Because the phrase “coalition of chaos” clearly applies to its leadership team.
Government announces project that will significantly reduce coal consumption
The Government has done a deal with the owners of New Zealand Steel that will see the company replace its coal fired furnace with a renewable energy supplied electric arc furnace and will significantly reduce the country’s greenhouse gas emissions.
Our heat battery in the oceans
Almost all of the extra heat that humans have captured by adding greenhouse gases to the atmosphere over the last few centuries has wound up warming the deep oceans. We’re now starting to feel the effects of that excess heat.
What Do The Maori Party Want Anyway?
Since they’re touted as 2023’s electoral ‘Kingmakers’, it’s time to understand what the Maori Party really want.
Fuel efficient cars and National’s tacky little culture war
Recent days have provided a further example of why Aotearoa’s response to climate change has been compromised by politics.
Debate of the Day: should farms be regulated to centre climate action and nature?
In election year, National’s farming regulations bonfire flies in the face of climate action and ecological restoration.
Extinction Rebellion: The Big One
XR are back. New strategy, same smart and bold action.
Go well Jacinda
Today is Jacinda’s official last day on the job as a member of Parliament.
RMA reform will not solve the climate crisis
National has proposed RMA reform as the basis for accelerating the roll out of renewable energy generation. It appears that it has never met a problem for which the solution is either a tax cut or RMA reform.
Climate change – the final final warning
The latest report from the International Panel on Climate Change has synthesised reports on the climate crisis from hundreds of scientists over the past eight years and has boiled it down to one message: act now, or it will be too late.
The great policy bonfire
Chris Hipkins continues with his shock and awe campaign and has torched a number of policies that National and Act were using to foment unrest.