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.
May figures just out…
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.
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.
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…
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.
A recap of the 2006 climate change documentary “Dimming the Sun” featuring NASA’s Jim Hansen. Time has definitely not been kind to us.
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.
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.
There are bits of good news out there, but there’s a lot of denial around the mess we’re in.
Here’s some more science for the government to hate on: “Paris climate agreement cannot be met without emissions reduction target for agriculture”.
… and a freight train coming down the tracks.
Break Free From Fossil Fuels. There are still events coming up in NZ, including today in Dunedin.
“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.
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.”
Before government spending cuts there was The Riot for Austerity, a grass roots Climate Change movement that showed how it was possible for ordinary people to change and significantly reduce their carbon emissions without someone forcing them to.
…the hot potato – stop dropping it. Maybe grow the fuck up and react intelligently to the blindingly obvious.
Or waterways are starting to stink as much as our murky tax havens.
The Herald castigated the Government over its inaction over climate change in an editorial released this morning.
Today the Royal Society of NZ released the second of two reports into climate change and the actions NZ should be taking. Great work. Now all we need is great action.
I/S at No Right Turn on the renewables target and futility of targets without plans.
NZ under the Key government has hit new depths of ignominy as per capita the world’s biggest climate change cheat. And we plan to keep using the fraudulent “credits” we have purchased.
The New Zealand Initiative has produced a research paper attacking the proposal for a sugar tax. But who is it and who is it speaking on behalf of?
Old Zeeland showing New Zealand the way.
Our models and our plans for responding to climate change are already out of date.
South Dunedin, Lower Hutt, Christchurch, Napier…
So, Key has now come out and revealed to us how afraid the global oligarch class (and their well paid professional enablers) are. They appear to have no plans to reverse their activites to make things better for us.
Fran O’Sullivan has spilt the beans. John Key thinks that overseas terrorism and by implication climate change are good for the New Zealand economy and that the country should not do anything about overseas corporates paying low tax rates because investment will occur. And he wants New Zealand to become a haven for people overseas fleeing from terrorism and climate change. But only if they are wealthy.
Power companies are trying to back out of the previously announced commitment to shut down the fossil fueled power plants at Huntly.
Greenpeace: We are live at the oil industry conference in Auckland. Through non-violent peaceful civil disobedience, we intend to send the strongest message we can that New Zealand must join the global fight to quit oil and meet the greatest challenge of our time – climate change.
TVOne has discovered that National’s preposed climate change aid spend announced at COP21 would result in a reduction in the amount spent compared to previous years.
Greenpeace is planning a day of peaceful civil disobedience in support of real climate change action this Monday March 21. And big oil has a conference at Sky City in Auckland on that date.
Paula Bennett has conceded that the Emissions Trading Scheme is not working and that the two for one scheme which halves the cost of carbon credits for major polluters will be phased out. But when?
The dairy crisis is escalating with a further drop in prices occurring overnight. And John Key has chosen to defend the Government’s handling of the crisis by attacking Andrew Little. He would be better off explaining what his Government is doing to address what is becoming a crisis.
The evidence that we have significantly underestimated the speed of climate change is mounting steadily.
Miscellaneous Sunday morning meanderings on technology, inequality and the future of work.
