science

About climate change …

Written By: mickysavage - Date published: 1:11 pm, November 3rd, 2014 - 162 comments

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 …

Responding to our greatest threat

Written By: Anthony R0bins - Date published: 8:02 am, October 17th, 2014 - 23 comments

Pick up the ball

Written By: Guest post - Date published: 10:53 am, September 28th, 2014 - 30 comments

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.

Idiots, Cowards and Bastards.

Written By: Bill - Date published: 4:18 pm, September 22nd, 2014 - 47 comments

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.

Greens buoyant

Written By: karol - Date published: 5:53 pm, September 18th, 2014 - 14 comments

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

Local Bodies: Manipulated Data and the Art of Deception

Written By: notices and features - Date published: 12:28 pm, July 28th, 2014 - 7 comments

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.

Dear Greenpeace – difficult cases make bad law

Written By: mickysavage - Date published: 12:06 pm, July 15th, 2014 - 55 comments

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 …

NRT: Climate Voter

Written By: notices and features - Date published: 12:41 pm, June 25th, 2014 - 33 comments

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.

xkcd: 4.5 degrees

Written By: notices and features - Date published: 10:45 pm, June 10th, 2014 - 67 comments

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?

The Green’s climate change policy

Written By: mickysavage - Date published: 12:03 pm, June 2nd, 2014 - 129 comments

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?

NRT: Climate change: Point of no return

Written By: notices and features - Date published: 1:18 pm, May 14th, 2014 - 26 comments

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…

NRT: Climate change: Action is affordable

Written By: notices and features - Date published: 11:56 am, April 15th, 2014 - 34 comments

Catastrophic climate change can be averted without sacrificing living standards according to a UN report, which concludes that the transformation required to a world of clean energy is eminently affordable. “It doesn’t cost the world to save the planet,”. The average cost of adapting to climate change next year is less than $30. Remember that next time Bill English stands up in Parliament threatening economic Armageddon if we try and do anything about it.

Drill baby drill

Written By: mickysavage - Date published: 8:12 am, April 3rd, 2014 - 40 comments

Two days after the IPCC has warned us of the threat posed by climate change and Simon Bridges has announced a huge block offer of parts of New Zealand and much of its territorial water.  This will include the pristine waters off Auckland’s west coast, home of Maui’s dolphin.  In a world that has to address its consumption of petroleum you have to question if it is worth the risk.

Act thinks the IPCC is scaremongering

Written By: mickysavage - Date published: 10:38 am, April 1st, 2014 - 65 comments

The latest IPCC report has been released and not only are scientific views on the existence of climate change hardening, but the effects are becoming more pronounced.  Meanwhile ACT has described action to try and save the planet as “moral exhibitionism” and has said that not improving the ETS is a bottom line for any future coalition with National.  If you need any reason to work to get rid of this Government this has to be it.