The War on Carbon
Or a conscientious objection to any War on Climate Change, or War on Global Warming.
Environment
science
A Question from a Room.
Take a look around the room you’re in. Or if you’re out and about and reading this on some mobile device, then take a look around the next room you enter. Closely.
Does National really want climate change to be a bipartisan issue?
National has cautiously pledged to support the Government’s proposed Climate Change Commission. But is it looking for opportunities to delay or weaken urgent action that New Zealand needs to be taking now rather than signing up for urgent action being started now?
Let’s Build a Hospital!
…on reclaimed land. (Dunedin) – because water features are nice things to have.
Who gives a hooton about climate change?
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
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.
Avoiding meat and dairy is ‘single biggest way’ to reduce your impact on Earth according to a Guardian headline.
Yeah. No it’s not.
New Zealand’s Energy Future
New Zealand has a low carbon energy future plan. What is the strategy to achieve this?
Deep Trawling.
Is NZ’s fishing industry just a domestic version of the tobacco companies? And how much would that really matter?
Wipeout
How many wake up calls does it take?
Dunedin Hospital
Yes, Dunedin needs a new hospital, but…
A Great Business Opportunity
410 ppm. And rising.
National is yeah nah on climate change
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.
Why Can’t We Hold Vector Accountable?
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
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
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
There’s something about Antarctica…
Government blocks off shore oil and gas drilling
The Government has announced that there will be no new offshore oil and gas exploration permits issued under the block offer process.
Regrets, John Key’s had a few *
or more accurately one. A failed vanity flag referendum.
Labour aims to make transport system more sustainable
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
Highlights from the Climate 2050 event in Wellington last night.
End Oil
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
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.
Julie Anne Genter: Working for Women’s Rights on the World Stage
The Minister for Women on her recent trip with the NZ delegation to the UN.
The Birds.
Yup. It’s okay to be a bit scared.
NRT on transitioning off fossil fuels
Two posts from No Right Turn.
“Fundamentally, climate change means it is us or the oil industry. We know whose side the Greens are on. But people are doubting Labour, and they only have themselves to blame for it.”
Also a post on banning fossil-fueled cars.
Ardern suggests that oil exploration may cease
The Government is reconsidering the future of New Zealand’s block offer process which releases exploration permits to the oil industry for exploratory drilling.
What should NZ prioritise in international climate change negotiations later this year?
The New Zealand Ministry of Foreign Affairs and Trade is seeking submissions to inform their negotiations for the Conference of Parties to the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change (COP24) in December 2018.
Post TPPA signing
It’s Our Future spokesperson Oliver Hailes was on RNZ yesterday succinctly pointing out the problem with Labour and NZF’s u-turn on the TPPA. He also recently co-authored an article in the NZ Medical Journal on the TPPA, climate change and health.
Cullen says 2020 election effectively a referendum on tax
Don’t hold your breath for recommendations of radical tax reform from the Tax Working Group. Chair Sir Michael Cullen says the 2020 election will be a referendum on tax and he is already kicking for touch
NRT: Past time to end fossil fuel exploration
“The foreign shareholders in that toxic industry will kick and scream, but its basicly them or the planet – and if we want to save the world and keep our own coastal cities above water, they have to go.”
Arctic monkey wrenching
“This is more than just a temperature anomaly. It is an off-the-scale event. Why is the Arctic meltdown not headline news in every paper?” – George Monbiot
If someone said hey, your house is going to burn down, we don’t know if it’s in the next hour or next week, what would you do?
Climate change is not an accident
Snippets from the first day of the 2nd Pacific Climate Change Conference and Cyclone Gita.
Dunedin City Council votes for carbon neutral target
“Offsets alone would not achieve the zero carbon target and a significant systematic and behavioural change would still be needed…”
Help for Tonga
Cyclone Gita has caused devastation across the Tongan islands, and is being called the worst storm in at least 60 years.
A storm is coming
A big storm is set to hit Auckland next week. And it won’t be the last.