The Year Skiing Died
Climate change has ensured that this is the winter that broke skiing.
Environment
science
Kelvin Davis – if not now then when?
The text of an excellent speech given by Kelvin Davis to the Labour Party conference on climate change.
Democracy is on the Ballot – watershed US midterms this week.
At a campaign event last week President Biden said that in these mid-term elections “democracy is on the ballot”. This is absolutely true, and the outcome will be decided by those who show up to vote.
Holy Sh*t, Overshoot! Don’t Dither; Do
July 28 was EARTH OVERSHOOT DAY. On July 29 we went into ecological deficit. Humans have used the entire annual budget of resources that can replenished by nature
There are of course many things we can do.
The most important election in the world this year
With the future of the Amazon rain forest at stake the people of Brazil go to the polls today to vote on who will be their next President in an election that may profoundly affect the world’s future.
Wind Farms Need Mines
We need more mines if we are to transition to low carbon. There’s a field of industry that National and Labour could readily […]
Groundswell or Deep Earth?
Groundswell want degenerative agriculture.
Wayne Brown’s letters
Wayne Brown (or is that Matthew Hooton) has over the past few days released a series of letters that are astonishing in their audacity. His latest on transport proposes business as usual at a time when dramatic change is required.
Stand up and fight
Don’t give up. Don’t retrench into reactionary blocking politics. We have more choices for action and transition, and creating regenerative and sustainable systems, than ever before.
Sunflower | Oil
Van Gogh and Picasso as climate action targets. Destroying beauty is an act of self harm. On one level it’s wrong, but when we are desperate, it’s also an act of power.
Climate change: I think that we are f&*ked
This week the Government announced plans to bring in a scheme for pricing farming emissions in 2025. National’s response suggests the prospects of political consensus are non existent.
What if we had a Transition Enabling Act?
At a time when we are inundated with news of the end of the world, ideas of the way through are crucial. This one is brilliant – legislation that would enable all the things we need for Transition to happen. The great potential here is for change in a climate-meaningful timeframe.
The world needs more Izzy Cooks and fewer Heather Du Plessis-Allans
Just when you thought that talk back radio could not be worse there has been a recent incident where Heather Du Plessis-Allan basically bullied a young woman who wants to make the world a better place.
Climate Commision Chair: it’s time to reform the “plant and pollute” Emissions Trading Scheme
This good news bodes well.
Transition at the Limits of What People Can Cope With
Many European governments now face a perfect storm of threatened energy security, rising inflation, war-propelled refugee crisis, and climate objectives. New Zealand be warned.
Voting for our lives: protecting the environment from the late capitalism death cult
Environment Southland gives the ok for intensive farming on the edge of Fiordland National Park. Everyday there’s more news of disastrous decisions being made by people in power. The local body elections in the next month give us one easy and straightforward way to change that.
This is what the climate crisis looks like in New Zealand, so far
If we keep doing what we are doing (not acting on climate), then at some point there will just be too many of these events to keep up with. But we still have time to limit the damage and transition society.
By Nature Unfair
You can be the most moral nation on earth and have no reward for it.
National’s weird take on the Government’s Climate Adaption Plan
The Government’s release of the National Adaption Plan to deal with climate change has been met by National with an insistence that who should pay for potentially hundreds of billions of costs should have already been identified.
What New Zealanders are thinking about climate change
A new Ipsos poll has some good news.
Act on climate
Everything we do matters. Stories of hope and renewal.
Book Review: David Holmgren’s ‘RetroSuburbia’
The ‘what if?’ at the heart of RetroSuburbia is “what if our suburbs were reimagined and repurposed to be sustainable, productive and vibrant?” Good question. – Rob Hopkins
Unthinkable Renationalisation
Europe is leading the global fight against climate change by rapidly shifting away from fossil fuels. This now includes fully renationalising energy companies and forced decreases in gas use. What could New Zealand learn?
“Fight fossil fuels or the future dies”
The UK government is warning of an extreme heatwave coming next week and asking people to prepare. This is the beginning stage of climate collapse and it has the potential to get much worse. But it’s not too late to prevent the worst – choosing proactive pathways right now empowers us to make the changes needed.
Should our future lie with NATO?
Not content to stay in the North Atlantic, NATO is shortly about to reveal in Madrid its next ten-year plan to contain China. Jacinda Ardern will be there, who knows why. Are we nailing our colours to a flag at half-mast?
The 2022 Energy Crisis Is Right Here Right Now
Every part of our energy-dense life from plastic to tarmac to food to clothes to building materials is about to get smashed like we ain’t seen.
He Waka Eke Noa?
The He Waka Eke Noa report recommends the introduction of farm-level split-gas levy on agricultural emissions. The anticipated savings are very small and reliant on Government proposals for the sector to reaching the Government target of 10% methane reduction. Are we really all in this together?
parts per million
Prince Louis and the perfect tweet.
Climate politics
Quick quiz on which New Zealand politicians led well on climate action in the past 15 years. Which New Zealand town is in a climate emergency today? And how our focus and voting matters if we want to avert climate disaster.
When Dumb Corporates Kill Thousands. Here.
New Zealand King Salmon has revealed that 42% of their salmon in warm water areas for the year ending January 2022 were just […]
Wood announces boost to Coastal shipping
Transport Minister Michael Wood has announced funding to increase coastal shipping services in New Zealand in a move that will decrease highway congestion, reduce wear and tear on roads, improve employment, support regional development and reduce greenhouse gas emissions.
Longing for a low carbon future
It’s the question that obsesses me, how to cultivate a deep cultural longing for a post-carbon, more just, more equal world?
– Transitions Town pioneer Rob Hopkins
The Emissions Reduction Plan we voted for
what kind of climate action do we want?
Announcing New Zealand’s low carbon future
The climate crisis is no longer something that’s happening to someone else, somewhere else, at some point in the future. It’s happening to us. It’s happening here. It’s happening now. – James Shaw
The politics of opposition to cycleways
Opposition to Auckland Council’s Cycling and Micromobility Programme Business Case appears to be motivated by the belief that plans to have more of the population walk and cycle instead of using cars will be unpopular. Overseas experience suggests that not only can these types of projects contribute significantly to sustainability but they can also be very popular.
XR protestors have stopped operations at a Southland coal mine
Go you beautiful people!