Another failure at Lima
While I have come to expect nothing from the annual climate change talks, this years’ failure is particularly galling because of the active role that NZ played in it.
Environment
science
This is not business as usual. This is not some hippy over-reaction. This is serious shit!
New author Mandy Hager joins us with some reflections on having become a grandmother: “So that’s why I’m speaking out now, every opportunity I get. Not because I like the exposure (shudder), but because I love this tiny little person and I will fight for his future, come what may. It’s the right thing to do. …”
Climate change is too important to lie about
First instinct, lie. When caught, trivialise and try to deny the science. When pushed, argue that we have to wait for others. When cornered, plead that it’s all about the economy, and promise to act later. Groser is as bad as Key.
Heads in the Sand protest this Sunday
The Coal Action Network is planning a series of protests this Sunday to highlight how this Government has its head planted firmly in the sand when it comes to addressing climate change.
Groser and National have a plan to save the world from global warming
Tim Groser and National have a plan to solve global warming so cunning you could put a tail on it and call it a weasel.
Hot Topic: CROWDFUNDING THIN ICE: THE FINAL PUSH
The Kickstarter campaign to get climate documentary Thin Ice shown on public TV in the USA is closing in on its target … with 4 days to go.
Updated: Now within $2000 of the target having raised more than $4000 since yesterday afternoon. Help them get over the line.
John Key and the Fart Tax
Momentum is building for action on climate change – but Key reckons it’s all just too hard for little old NZ. If only the Nats hadn’t killed of funding for research into the reduction of agricultural emissions…
Polity: Bonza
Poor old Tony Abbott. Thrust into the limelight of hosting the world’s biggest economic meeting, and his true colours come out for everyone to see. Not a happy weekend for Tony Abbott and, by extension, for Australia. Perhaps “bumpkin” would be a better title
Why does the right control the English speaking world?
Jason Wilson in the Guardian has asked a very relevant question. Why is the right currently dominant in the English speaking Western World and what does the left have to do to change this?
Nats’ climate negligence
Yesterday was a big day for climate news, highlighting yet again the irresponsible negligence of this National government.
Hot Topic: Climate documentary Thin Ice raising money for US broadcast
Thin Ice, the superb documentary about climate science and scientists filmed and produced by New Zealand and British climate scientists, has launched a Kickstarter crowdfunding campaign to finance a new edit of the film so that it can be shown on public TV in the US. 14 days to go and they need a bit more cash.
“Marching in the streets”
Thousands of people protested and marched around the country against the secret and anti-democratic TPPA negotiations. Reports & pics. Updated
Nats’ selective science
Dita De Boni in the Herald takes the Nats to task for their selective use of science, and Sir Peter Gluckman proposes gagging scientists.
One News promoted climate crank
After a strong reaction, TVNZ has taken down video and an article featuring a climate change denialist crank.
About climate change …
The IPCC has released a further report refining previous research and announcing with practical certainty that climate change is happening because of the production of greenhouse gasses. It proposes that we stop burning fossil fuels, and change the electricity generation system so that by 2050 the vast bulk of the world’s power is produced by renewable means. The diagnosis is clear as are the remedies. And meanwhile Tim Groser thinks the Greens are to blame for the recent drop in the milk price …
Lowly science
I’m sure it’s true, but…
Responding to our greatest threat
Answering climate change myths
I ran across this youtube video “Thirteen misconceptions about global warming” handling the basic myths used by our climate change dummies. Perhaps they should watch it before I and others have to waste too much of our time rubbishing their inane ideas.
Pick up the ball
In the spirit of new badly needed Left Unity. The Left opposition needs to start setting the agenda. First “feed the kids” needs to be picked up. Second the corporate welfare for Solid Energy needs a lot of scrutiny. So does the the state funding of oil exploration.
For all our futures
With massive demonstrations across the world urging the UN & governments to do very much more to counter climate change, Al Jazeera’s Inside Story covers the demos and examines the issues.
Idiots, Cowards and Bastards.
When they write about it at all, the media tends to produce a lot of smash on the issue of global warming, and I’ve had enough of the crap. I apologise for both the length of this post and the number of data chewing links (pdfs and video). I’m hoping to write a number of posts looking at global warming from a variety of perspectives, and hopefully, it’ll be possible to keep others somewhat briefer than this one.
The tweets are alive….
… with pre-election day fervour. It’s an election that’s going down to the wire. The energy is there for the left to keep talking to people, and to encourage as many as possible to get out and vote. It’s Suffrage Day – reporting via the telegraph in 1893 to the internet today. On-going updates
Greens buoyant
John Key & National’s empty facade – its lack of vision for NZ – has been exposed. Opposition parties have continued to campaign positively, focusing on people, fairness, & the environment. [Update] NZ Herald video
Debate tonight: Climate Voter
Climate Voter is streaming a debate between the major parties tonight at 7pm.
Local Bodies: Manipulated Data and the Art of Deception
The National led Government are desperate to present the good news stories to promote the success of the past six years of their governance. They have increased the budget and the numbers of their spin doctors to ensure that it is mainly positive messages that make into the public domain. The Government cleverly manipulates data to hide the extent of poverty the degradation of the environment and the success of our economy. Of course most of us who live in the real world know that National’s reality is a falsely constructed one.
Thriving children, liveable communities & sustainable resources
The Green Party’s election focus is on reducing poverty & inequalities (highlighting its impact on children), and developing sustainable communities. 2 recently announced policies are under-pinned by 2 crises: poverty/inequality; and the destruction of our environment (climate change, resource depletion).
Dear Greenpeace – difficult cases make bad law
Greenpeace has been told by the Electoral Commission that its Climate Voter Website requires third party authorisation and that a cap on the amount that can be spent applies. There is an exception in the law if the site is a “news media” site which is paradoxically the same defence Cameron Slater is running in his case against Matt Blomfield justifying his refusal to disclose who his informant is. The sense of irony is strong here …
A John Key. With assembly instructions.
How to make your very own New Zealand Prime Minister. Even better looking than this vessel.
NRT: Climate Voter
On Monday, an alliance of environmental organisations launched the Climate Voter campaign. The aim is to get people to signal their intention to vote on the basis of climate change policy, in the hope of driving parties to compete for that bloc of support. I think this is a good thing. At the same time, it needs to get a lot more people to sign up for it to have the sort of impact it wants. These mass-signalling exercises can work. So, if you care about the climate, sign up.
NRT: Climate change: A carbon tax in action
The Greens promised to scrap the gutted and ineffective ETS and replace it with a carbon tax. National immediately claimed that the sky would fall if we stopped subsidising polluters and allowing them to rort us. But where it is used it has done exactly what it was designed to do: reduce emissions while lowering taxes on ordinary people. National just likes polluters?
xkcd: 4.5 degrees
Without prompt, aggressive limits on CO2 emissions, the Earth will likely warm by an average of 4-5°c by the century’s end.
How big a change is that?
Climate change – ETS or Carbon tax?
The media is trying to suggest that Labour is opposing the Green’s proposed Carbon Tax policy. This is a gross over dramatisation of the situation. Labour has in the past supported a Carbon Tax, has a policy formation process which prevents policy creation on the hoof, and prefers an ETS even though it is slightly more complex on the basis that it is slightly more effective in allocating costs and benefits across the board.
The Green’s climate change policy
The Greens have released their climate change policy and are proposing that the ETS is scrapped and a carbon tax imposed in its place. This is a proposal that in the past Labour has supported. The ETS was only agreed to because New Zealand First would not agree to a carbon tax. Second time lucky?
The Greens and the Emissions Trading Scheme
Russel Norman is tipped today to announce the proposed scrapping of the ETS. It is clear that it is not working. But what do we do instead?
NRT: Climate change: Point of no return
As has been long anticipated under current conditions, the West Antarctic Ice Sheet *will* melt with a more than average 3 metre rise in world sea levels. The only remaining question is how long it will take to melt. No Right Turn explains points out the slowly unfolding disaster…
Save Invermay
We still don’t know why Joyce is pushing on with the move to shut Invermay, Dunedin’s impressive AgResearch centre, but it’s still not […]