sustainability

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At least Labour wants to save the planet

Written By: - Date published: 1:16 pm, October 8th, 2018 - 46 comments

The Government is consulting on changes to the Crown Minerals (Petroleum) Amendment Bill to prevent further offshore drilling permits being issued. Locally the right are saying it will make things worse. And in the US of A the Trump administration has conceded that out of control climate change is inevitable.

Tilting at Windmills

Written By: - Date published: 10:38 am, September 10th, 2018 - 42 comments

The Donald found a real one!

Norway’s plastic bottle recycling

Written By: - Date published: 8:00 am, August 28th, 2018 - 16 comments

Norway’s recycling policies are that good that it is in serious need of more rubbish.

Australia, New Zealand, and Climate Change Politics

Written By: - Date published: 8:00 am, August 25th, 2018 - 37 comments

What are the implications for New Zealand’s climate change policies of Australia’s change of Prime Minister?

Strewth Dutton could be Aussie PM

Written By: - Date published: 7:54 am, August 20th, 2018 - 87 comments

Malcolm Turnbull’s days as Australian Prime Minister may be numbered with suggestions that Peter Dutton has the numbers to win a leadership contest.

Climate change: what happens now?

Written By: - Date published: 10:37 am, August 14th, 2018 - 138 comments

How does humanity prepare for the realisation that humans only have perhaps fifty years left?

Who protects us from water companies?

Written By: - Date published: 8:00 am, August 10th, 2018 - 78 comments

New Zealand seriously needs a water regulator. Something that will show that each catchment can withstand having that much taken out of it, and that it is being sold for a fair price, and ensures everyone has access to beautiful-quality water.

Should we defend global institutions?

Written By: - Date published: 9:22 am, August 8th, 2018 - 37 comments

With the world facing environmental, economic and social crises now more than ever before is a time for strong international institutions.

A bit of a hit

Written By: - Date published: 1:24 pm, July 26th, 2018 - 12 comments

Not everything can be attributed to climate change. But we’re in for a bit of a hit.

In Short…

Written By: - Date published: 11:53 am, July 14th, 2018 - 49 comments

A post puzzling over our collective state of mind in the face of incredible danger and suggesting the only course of action we can take. Covering our eyes and blocking our ears isn’t it.

Progress.

Written By: - Date published: 5:21 pm, July 8th, 2018 - 10 comments

I don’t pay much attention to news channels these days, and realise this will have been all over the place in the shape of headlines and lead stories. So I’m sorry for simply echoing that which is already being amplified, but hey…

Petrol is going up, and up

Written By: - Date published: 8:30 am, June 30th, 2018 - 57 comments

Not all the current government’s fault, but the arrival of the fuel tax this weekend heralds a number of very sharp rises in what we have to pay in order to run a car.

The zero carbon bill

Written By: - Date published: 9:06 am, June 25th, 2018 - 88 comments

The Ministry for the Environment has released a discussion paper on a Zero Carbon Bill.  But one proposal is to exempt methane which would mean that effectively half of New Zealand’s greenhouse gasses would not be subject to limitation.

The War on Carbon

Written By: - Date published: 6:02 am, June 22nd, 2018 - 50 comments

Or a conscientious objection to any War on Climate Change, or War on Global Warming.

Hosking poll shows overwhelming support for cycle lanes

Written By: - Date published: 8:04 am, June 19th, 2018 - 54 comments

Mike Hosking created an online poll which he must have thought would show opposition to cycleways but which has indicated that cycleways are very popular with Aucklanders.

A Question from a Room.

Written By: - Date published: 6:02 am, June 19th, 2018 - 113 comments

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?

Written By: - Date published: 10:06 am, June 17th, 2018 - 94 comments

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!

Written By: - Date published: 11:30 am, June 14th, 2018 - 19 comments

…on reclaimed land. (Dunedin) – because water features are nice things to have.

Who gives a hooton about climate change?

Written By: - Date published: 11:47 am, June 10th, 2018 - 125 comments

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

Written By: - Date published: 8:00 am, June 8th, 2018 - 43 comments

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.

Written By: - Date published: 11:57 am, June 2nd, 2018 - 54 comments

Avoiding meat and dairy is ‘single biggest way’ to reduce your impact on Earth according to a Guardian headline.

Yeah. No it’s not.

Deep Trawling.

Written By: - Date published: 9:14 am, May 24th, 2018 - 21 comments

Is NZ’s fishing industry just a domestic version of the tobacco companies? And how much would that really matter?

Wipeout

Written By: - Date published: 10:04 am, May 21st, 2018 - 31 comments

How many wake up calls does it take?

Would you step into a driverless car?

Written By: - Date published: 3:18 pm, May 11th, 2018 - 51 comments

And would you send your child off to a party in a driverless car?

Dunedin Hospital

Written By: - Date published: 10:02 am, May 8th, 2018 - 22 comments

Yes, Dunedin needs a new hospital, but…

A Great Business Opportunity

Written By: - Date published: 10:03 am, May 6th, 2018 - 55 comments

410 ppm. And rising.

National is yeah nah on climate change

Written By: - Date published: 8:21 am, April 30th, 2018 - 34 comments

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.

National’s fiscal ineptitude over Auckland transport

Written By: - Date published: 9:03 am, April 29th, 2018 - 32 comments

National has responded to Labour’s ATAP proposal by refusing to accept there is a problem, drumming up anti Auckland resentment in the rest of the country and claiming they would have done the same thing.

Why Can’t We Hold Vector Accountable?

Written By: - Date published: 8:28 am, April 19th, 2018 - 85 comments

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

Written By: - Date published: 9:00 am, April 14th, 2018 - 18 comments

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

Written By: - Date published: 8:45 am, April 14th, 2018 - 73 comments

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.