Daily Review 24/01/2019
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5:30 pm, January 24th, 2019 - 68 comments
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- Treasury warns deeper recession worsening Budget deficit
The gift that keeps giving: David Seymour has now opened a split in the coalition over the future of National’s promise to build a new medical school. Photo: Lynn Grieveson / TheKakaKia ora. Long stories short, here’s my top things to note in Aotearoa’s political economy around housing, climate and ...3 hours ago - Weekly Roundup 22-November-2024
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Record Numbers: The Hīkoi mō te Tiriti, which began at the tip of the North, and the tail of the South, on 11 November, culminated outside Parliament on Tuesday, 19 November 2024, in one of the largest demonstrations in New Zealand’s political history.ACCORDING TO TE ARA, the Ministry of Culture ...5 hours ago - The Rush To Blame “The Activists”
Activists are such easy scapegoats. The right and center have been conditioned for decades to roll their eyes at all protests. The left are easily aggravated over students leading movements they see as belonging to grownups, who have more important concerns like the economy and whether the trains come on ...5 hours ago - Cutting Through An Inundation of Dipshit Racists
Hi,Watching New Zealand from afar offers a strange perspective. It can be a good thing — distance from Aotearoa helped keep me sane while I reported on abuse at New Zealand’s biggest megachurch over the course of a year. It helps fuel my silly podcast. But it can also be ...5 hours ago - This is bad news
The speech yesterday by Treasury’s Chief Economic Advisor warning that the books are in worse shape than forecasted looks like it’s part of a softening-up process for either more cuts or a longer wait to get back into surplus. The speech was a highly unusual public preview of Treasury’s Half-Yearly ...7 hours ago - Skeptical Science New Research for Week #47 2024
Open access notables Projected increase in the frequency of extremely active Atlantic hurricane seasons, Lopez et al., Science Advances: Future changes to the year-to-year swings between active and inactive North Atlantic tropical cyclone (TC) seasons have received little attention, yet may have great societal implications in areas prone to hurricane ...16 hours ago - Chicken Kiev
Chatting in the supermarket this morning, I found I needed to lunge for the chicken drumsticks.Coping mechanisms: who hasn’t felt a greater need for them lately?When it all gets too much, I turn to demonstrating handy butchery hacks.It wasn’t that she’d said anything wrong, our friend, not at all. We ...19 hours ago - The year is 2024 and it’s 1984
This is written in response to the highly significant open letter from a group of economists that was today addressed to Christopher Luxon. The year is 2024, and it’s 1984. The country is reeling from a record Olympic medal gold haul, while the globe grapples with the choice of the ...20 hours ago - The IPCA has failed
Back in 2022, RNZ took an in-depth look at the "Independent" Police Conduct Authority and its handling of killings by police. These are the most serious test of oversight, and you would expect the police's use of lethal force to receive the most severe scrutiny. But despite the police regularly ...1 day ago - Thursday 21 November 2024
The Hīkoi mō Te Tiriti arrived at Parliament on Tuesday – the size is being debated but estimates range from 42,000 to 100,000. The Prime Minister is defending not attending due to some of the organisers being affiliated with Te Pāti Māori. The national gang patch ban came into force ...1 day ago - ‘These budget cuts are counter-productive and make no sense’
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Unity on the Streets / Unity at the TableAfter the Hīkoi, all three right wing Coalition leaders came together to push the idea that the 42,000 - 50,000 + strong Hikoi was somehow less potent and brave, and more illegitimate than the energy and crowd displayed.Prime Minister Christopher Luxon 20-November: ...1 day ago - Durability of carbon dioxide removal is critical for stabilizing temperatures
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- Economists call on PM to suspend budget cuts for the sake of the economy
Nicola Willis’ budget cuts are under fire from economists for having no clear rationale and worsening the recession. Photo: Lynn Grieveson / The KākāKia ora. Long stories short, here’s my top things to note in Aotearoa’s political economy around housing, climate and poverty on Thursday, November 21: The news at ...1 day ago
- The end of policing by consent
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- The Treaty Principles Bill: A Who’s Who
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- 27% of kids going hungry, up from 21% in a year
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- Young Maori take over
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- Gordon Campbell On The Hikoi Aftermath
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The Treaty Principles Bill is set to have its First Reading in the House today, as the Hīkoi mō Te Tiriti continues. More than 40 KCs have written to the Prime Minister and Attorney-General outlining their “grave concerns” about the substance of the Treaty Principles Bill, while an academic and ...1 week ago
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Louise Upston has revealed her diminished vision for vulnerable youth against a backdrop of snubbed advice, scrapped priorities, shifted goal posts and thousands more children projected to fall into poverty. ...23 hours ago
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National Government’s backward-looking climate policy has seen New Zealand fall seven places on the Climate Change Performance Index to 41 out of 63 countries measured. ...23 hours ago
- Release: Simple reason for drop in emergency housing
When the Government says it has reduced the number of people in emergency housing, what it means is it is stopping people from accessing it in the first place. ...1 day ago
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The Government is turning its back on children by not only weakening child poverty reduction targets, but also removing child mental wellbeing as a priority focus in their Child and Youth Wellbeing Strategy. ...1 day ago
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Labour warmly welcomes the Restoring Samoan Citizenship Bill as it passes its third reading, before becoming law. ...1 day ago
- Government plan to reinstate live animal exports a “national disgrace”
The Government has taken a giant step backwards by reinstating live animal exports. ...2 days ago
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- Economists sound alarm on Government’s slash-and-burn approach
A group of prominent economists has released an open letter to the Government, raising grave concerns about the far-reaching consequences of its fiscal policy. ...2 days ago
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National’s repeal of Labour’s smokefree legislation has taken New Zealand further away from achieving a Smokefree 2025 and a smokefree generation. ...2 days ago
- Release: Call for Palestine recognition by NZ, Australian and Canadian MPs
Parliamentarians from Australia, Canada and New Zealand have written an open letter to their respective Prime Ministers calling on them to recognise Palestine. ...2 days ago
- Justice Select Committee opens floor for Treaty Principles submissions
Today, the Justice Select Committee has decided to officially open submissions for the controversial Treaty Principles Bill. ...3 days ago
- Power of the people on full display as hīkoi approaches Parliament
Today, Hīkoi mō te Tiriti arrived in Wellington, with thousands gathering to march in unity against the divisive Treaty Principles Bill. ...3 days ago
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- Government’s move to monetise access to nature a slippery slope
The Green Party is voicing serious concerns over the Government’s proposal to charge for access to public conservation land, released today. ...1 week ago
- Green Party condemns the passage of Treaty Principles Bill
The Green Party condemns the passing of the Treaty Principles Bill at first reading, and is clear that the fight is not over. ...1 week ago
- Stand Up for Te Tiriti
Te Tiriti o Waitangi is our country’s founding document. It forms the basis of the relationship between Māori and the Crown – and the Aotearoa New Zealand we live in today. ...1 week ago
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- Greens join King’s Counsel in calling for Treaty Principles Bill to be abandoned
The Prime Minister must answer the call from a group of senior lawyers of the King’s Counsel to abandon the divisive Treaty Principles Bill. ...1 week ago
- Chris Hipkins’ apology statement to state and faith-based care survivors
...1 week ago
- Release: Labour formally apologises to state and faith-based care survivors
Labour joins with the Government in unreservedly apologising for the abuse, neglect and trauma including torture in state and faith-based care and for ignoring the voices of survivors for too long. ...1 week ago
- Green Party stands in support of survivors of abuse in care
Today, the Green Party stands alongside the survivors of abuse in state care and faith-based care as the Government issues an historic apology. ...1 week ago
- Green Party calls for conscience vote on Treaty Principles Bill
The Green Party has written to the Speaker of the House requesting he enable a personal vote on the Treaty Principles Bill. ...2 weeks ago
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The Green Party is alarmed by the Government’s move to exclude a journalist from covering this week’s apology for the survivors of abuse in state and faith-based care. ...2 weeks ago
- Without action, an apology will be empty air
For tomorrow’s apology to survivors of abuse in state and faith-based care to hold any water, the Government must not pursue the same policies that drove the abuse in the first place. ...2 weeks ago
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Concerns about the tobacco industry’s ability to interfere in government policy making remain, despite the inability of the Office of the Auditor-General to investigate the Government’s decision to halve the excise tax on heated tobacco products. ...2 weeks ago
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The Climate Change Commission’s latest advice indicates Aotearoa needs to be stepping up on climate action. ...2 weeks ago
- Green MP’s Meme-ber’s Bill set to save the world
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- Release: Poroporoaki: Ta Robert (Bom) Gillies
Kua hinga te manawa kairākau o Te Rua Tekau Ma Waru Tiwhatiwha te po! Kakarauru i te po! Ka rapuhia kei hea koe kua riro! Haere e te Ika a Whiro ki o tini hoa kua ngaro atu ki te Pō ...2 weeks ago
- Labour, Greens and Te Pāti Māori call on the Prime Minister to block the Treaty Principles Bill
The opposition parties stand united for an Aotearoa that honours Te Tiriti, rather than seeking to rewrite it. Labour, the Greens and Te Pāti Māori are working together against the Government’s divisive Treaty Principles Bill. ...2 weeks ago
- Release: Labour, Greens and Te Pāti Māori call on the Prime Minister to block the Treaty Principle...
The opposition parties stand united for an Aotearoa that honours Te Tiriti, rather than seeking to rewrite it. Labour, the Greens and Te Pāti Māori are working together against the Government’s divisive Treaty Principles Bill. ...2 weeks ago
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Happy 109th to Django Reinhardt, one of the most important jazz guitarists of all time.
(dude had only two functional fingers on his left hand)
https://twitter.com/thefindingeye/status/1088248846474452993
That dude is off the chain! [couldn’t resist 🙂 ]
Fun fact, in tribute to Django Reinhard the Allman Brothers Band’s Dickey Betts attempted to write a song that could be played using only two fingers on the left hand.
It made my collection of four thousand all-time rock classics (few from after the early nineties). The long original version, I mean. It really hums along, and climbs the heights too. I never really considered Betts as a guitarist, actually, having become a fan of the Allmans before Duane died on his motorbike. Same fate for Les Harvey of Stone the Crows same year (I think), and he was even better than Duane!! I actually bought a Django album back then, but it was too jazzy so didn’t keep it. You’re right that Betts deserves credit, for sure!
One of the many examples of why we have a housing crisis: https://www.stuff.co.nz/business/110119264/mahana-property-owner-fined-10k-for-illegal-alterations
The Kiwi “can do” “no 8” values only exist if the wee officious bureaucrats allow them.
… if the wee bureaucrats allow it.
Yes, it was on TV1 this evening. It seems it is the bureaucrats who are causing the KiwiBuild delays. It’s holding back the builders and property developers from getting involved. Twyford is going to free up the regulations so they will hopefully come on board.
Not the least surprised. It wouldn’t be the first time these bureaucratic little Hitlers with a modicum of power have trashed govt initiatives. In saying that, I readily concede both Nat. and Lab. led governments have been affected.
Anyone who has worked for the Public Service in any capacity will know what I’m talking about,
Be nice to blame the faceless bureaucrats Anne. But sadly the government’s KiwiBuild travails are pretty much self inflicted.
I know what some faceless bureaucrats are like ScottGN. I worked with a few but not in the building industry. I do accept it was a problem Labour should have been alerted to well in advance of implementation.
Its not the first time Labour has found itself in hot water over a policy plank due to lack of due diligence when cobbling the policy together. However it should be a problem that can be overcome.
There are many opinions on the govts “travails” with Kiwibuild, it just depends on which ones you choose to run with.
Maybe Kat but I pretty much can promise you that Kiwibuild’s inherent failings are not the fault of pen-pushers in Council offices up and down the land. Labour needs to own this and try and move the dial. Twyford and his ministry could at least try and get to grips with what makes the building industry tick. Why is he surprised that builders and developers are only really interested in the big builds? They all clip the ticket on every set of taps and shower head and everything else they install for fucks sake.
With regards your comments on Kiwibuild, what makes the building industry “tick” is precisely the point as it is mainly the threat of sustained, long-term economic and urban transformation that is fueling opposing and negative views at the moment. Especially from the opposition and poodles in the media. This govt will continue to build houses one way or another.
Scott, I have to say from agonising personal experience that dealing with our dearly beloved Auckland Council is not something i would wish on even my worst enemy.
Having dealt with them over a personal subdivision I was creating by knocking a piece off the property I live on, I was dragged through a series of events over a 2 year period which created for me and my wife the most angst we have collectively experienced in our 35 years together.
The little tin Hitlers in that meandering rabbit warren called ‘council offices’ led us on a protracted and unnecessarily troublesome journey that could have been achieved in a third of the time. They charged us for every single minute they interacted with us, and that was on top of the regular set charges which are written down in their little book of words and numbers.
They were unhelpful, difficult, arrogant, contradictory, threatening, ignorant, unapproachable, hard to contact and a dozen other things which I am disinclined to list here. It cost us somewhere between 40 and 50 thousand in council costs and fees just to subdivide off a 467 sq metre section.
Usurious, uncaring and fucking disgraceful as a public service. You can’t go anywhere else. They’ve got you, and they let you know that in all they do and say.
Thus – I heartily concur with those who say that tiny little puffed up bureaucratic numpties are probably the major cause of road blocks in the Kiwibuild process.
So what you’re saying is any kiwi should be able to do What they like even if it’s possibly unsafe, unsound and let the buyer beware.
Regulations are there to pull up cowboys like him, especially when an indoor fire is in the mix. Note there’s no mention of what an inspection revealed……if ones been done at all.
I can quote family member good builder now retired as to bureaucracy and housing. The right regulations properly implemented are what is needed. (Auckland based.)
WE USED TO DO THINGS PROPERLY IN THE 1930’S=1970’S WHY DID THINGS CHANGE ????
Creeping bureaucracy and red tape. Theory over practice became the norm. Lack of proper training in the building trade as apprenticeships were given the heave ho. We the sheeple are the masters of our own demise. Thats what happened.
I certainly agree with that, but most of the problem is that the council services are money-making but not customer-focused. The worst of both worlds.
You get charged through the nose in order to sit on your arse and wait.
In this particular case, though, I have no sympathy. If you can’t work within the plan, you don’t just ignore the consent issue.
If it can be shown that the building work is up to standard then what is the problem, why are we sanctioning punitive fines just for the sake of rules. This is the creeping web of bureaucratic autocracy that is infecting the spirit of people in New Zealand and quashing any form of self reliance.
So a house plan is submitted and consent is given. The house is under construction and the builder discovers a window, door or wall is in the wrong place or should be changed, enlarged, made smaller or removed. That just can’t be done on site like it once was, it has to be redrawn and the amended plan submitted for consent with an extra fee before modification on site.
We have become a nation of comfortably numb sheeple.
Aside from planning issues, the purpose of the consenting process is to show that the building work is up to standard.
Although there was that time when accredited persons were permitted to carry out inspections. But it didn’t work out too flash.
Up to standard like the “leaky buildings fiasco”……that planning worked well didn’t it.
The permitted codes might have been shit but ultimately, it was the inspection processes that failed.
Officials tend to play by the book so the “shit codes” were given the tick in practice.
Nah, this case is more than that – they asked to build a barn and instead built a house. Logburner emissions, plumbing, power, even access and road use – you can’t just increase the population density of a property and pretend it affects nobody else.
The only problem I have with that case is that the fine wasn’t ten times bigger. Ten grand is probably within the budget estimate for the illegal house.
Dude’s about to find out just how big the fine could be.
A man has admitted to doubling the floor area of a house without getting building consents for the work.
Failing to get consents means Manawatū District Council is unable to check if Richard James Easther’s work complies with the Building Code, the Palmerston North District Court heard on Tuesday.
[…]
He did extensive work on the house between 2011 and 2018, putting in a new kitchen, bedroom and covered deck, as well as other internal renovations.
He effectively doubled the floor area of the house, but failed to get any building consents for the work.
[…]
Easther is scheduled to be sentenced in February.
He faces a fine of up to $200,000.
https://www.stuff.co.nz/national/crime/110078659/man-faces-massive-fine-for-doubling-houses-floor-area-without-consent
Who said there is any pretending and how does a fine solve anything. The reality is the barn is most likely a reasonably built building affording shelter and a home to humans. Has to be more aesthetic in that particular environment than a Keith Hay type box or some cheep move on.
Barns don’t tend to have a kitchen, bathroom, mezzanine, logburner, and chimney.
Times might have changed since the last time I was on a farm, though.
Yes times have changed, what were once American style barns that gave shelter to hay, chickens, model T fords and the occasional cow hand are now country lifestyle-block homes.
That’s a conversion. Barns are non-residential buildings.
Friend says he isn’t allowed to put in his own gib. Has to be a register builder ffs. One eg of many I’m sure.
Re putting in own gib, could that be for warranty reasons?
Of course he can put up his own gib.
https://www.building.govt.nz/projects-and-consents/planning-a-successful-build/scope-and-design/choosing-the-right-people-for-your-type-of-building-work/owner-builder-obligations/
“So what you’re saying is any kiwi should be able to do What they like even if it’s possibly unsafe, unsound and let the buyer beware….”
No, and in this particular case if the building is shown to be unsafe, unsound and dangerous then it should be pulled down. But its most likely not and that is the point.
Once all the linings are up then how can you tell if the wiring and plumbing are sound? Electricity is so dangerous.
We had a garage built and there were 11 checks that had to be done by council (IIRC) although the builders were able to work around that so that a lot of the checks could be done on the same day – something like 3 or 4 visits. And that was just for a garage!
Yeah, the risks of the improper installation of heating and sanitary services – house fires, scoldings, legionella, hepatitis, campylobacter etc, etc, are a fucking doddle.
/
Just burst pipes every ten years or so are a bit of a nuisance. That was from dodgy grey piping installed in the 1980s about.
Lolz Mahana $$$ JS, funny, will have to check out the clip.
Beautiful spot mind you.
Fancy the National Party being “blindsided.” Blinkered perhaps?
“The National Party and a female MP whose text to disgraced MP Jami-Lee Ross triggered a police investigation appear to have been blindsided by the move.
Ross revealed on Tuesday police had approached him about the text in which he said the woman told him he deserved to die. ……”
“….National had no idea police were investigating till Ross dropped his bombshell on Tuesday – and has confirmed that the female MP at the centre of the investigation had been just as much in the dark.
She has not responded to messages and National said she would not be commenting.”
https://www.stuff.co.nz/national/politics/110119860/police-inquiry-into-text-to-jamilee-ross-text-takes-national-by-surprise
Which woman was that one ?
That is not very nice obviously a bit sour about the relationship breakdown ?
Wonder if there will be a by-election down south before this is over?
I am amazed it took so long to investigate. These sorts of complaints usually take a week or so to finalise.
Tracy Watkins article says that National was aware of media reports of an investigation so I don’t really know how they could have been blindsided by the revelations that police were investigating?
“National had no idea police were investigating till Ross dropped his bombshell on Tuesday – and has confirmed that the female MP at the centre of the investigation had been just as much in the dark.
She has not responded to messages and National said she would not be commenting.
A party spokesman said it was aware of media reports of an investigation but had not heard from police.”
“the female MP at the centre of the investigation had been just as much in the dark.”
It’s these sorts of gratuitous details of the affair we just don’t need to have splashed all over the newspapers!
Aye.
I think she may have familial connections to police force.
“The National Party and a female MP whose text to disgraced MP Jami-Lee Ross”
Shouldn’t that read, “The disgraced National Party and the disgraced female MP whose text to disgraced MP Jami-Lee Ross…”?
46.6 degrees in Adelaide.
https://www.abc.net.au/news/2019-01-24/sa-heating-up-with-records-expected-to-be-broken/10745220
And BOM is warning that businesses in Melbourne May need to power down overnight if Victoria is to escape widespread heat related power outages tomorrow.
https://www.theage.com.au/business/companies/watchdog-widens-warnings-on-power-as-victoria-swelters-20190124-p50tat.html
That’s not unusual for Melbourne to have what they cal “brown outs” since they flog off the power companies under old Kennett. When I was based in Melbourne from 2009 to the end of 2011 they happened a lot during the summer and to be quite frank the wife and while glad to get out of that shit hole called Melbourne.
Trump’s approval rating has slumped below 40% on fivethirtyeight’s aggregated tracking. And today he got totally owned by Nancy.
https://projects.fivethirtyeight.com/trump-approval-ratings/?ex_cid=rrpromo
Only the bigliest growth figures, too.
https://twitter.com/betsy_klein/status/1088080875319934978
I would not expect federal employees to keep working for much longer either. Maybe using the military to put down mass strikes is the national emergency Chump has in mind?
Wonder if it’s part of a master plan to privatise certain govt dept’s?
Nahh, it’s a ham fisted attempt to sow confusion and obstruct the FBI investigation, and postpone his inevitable impeachment. Drumpster is a total crook but so is half of the US government, and they don’t want to be investigated either
Bannon did say during the campaign that they were going to remake the US economy and government .
https://twitter.com/sarahkendzior/status/1088261486324170753
Interesting……
Simon Black, Sovereign Man, is offering to pay rent of employees affected by the shutdown.
Meanwhile, … out on the tundra something strange is happening … that sorta… just shows how myopic things seem at times…
https://youtu.be/jzlpK5g5quk?t=338
Please can someone who remembers seeing that simple and telling image or chart rather than shows outlines of the countries of the world and the livable days at certain temperatures from yellow to dark red.
Please can you tell me where on this blog you saw it, give me link? I think I need it to remind me each day of what is important to keep in mind.
This?
https://twitter.com/ClimateHuman/status/1084906996967460864
edit:
this post
The Northern Australian Monsoon has finally arrived, mth and half late. So go figure and the gap between the a good season and a bad season is getting smaller weather you are in the Northern or the in the South.
Here on the Whanganui coast we’re experiencing equinox like (Oct-Nov) gales coming out of the NW rather than the SW.
They’re sucking the heat and moisture out of the ground and making gardening tough.
Yeah, I notice the storms of late in NZ are a little unusual for this time of the yr. Until the Monsoon turned up all our winds were coming from the west, south west instead of the Nth west through to the Nth East as we would expect for our Northern Wet Season.
Then we have the Polar blasts in the Norther hemisphere as well.
Not good atm.
Stop whinging about your gardening. One volcano caused the sunsets to be red and hazy continually as far away as England for fives years and caused a mist of the same to last even longer, globally.
One volcano.
Dwarfing anything man could ever do.
Krakatoa – The Great Volcanic Eruption – YouTube
Or try Mt St Helens.
Minute by Minute: The Eruption of Mount St. Helens – YouTube
The USG Volcanic Survey calls bullshit on your assertion.
Which emits more carbon dioxide (CO2): Earth’s volcanoes or human activities?
Research findings indicate unequivocally that the answer to this frequently asked question is human activities.
https://volcanoes.usgs.gov/vsc/file_mngr/file-154/Gerlach-2011-EOS_AGU.pdf
I call bullshit on your assertions.
For one you still haven’t explained the many ice ages and the warm period of Europe. Until you can do that , go talk to a woolly mammoth. Ask em how it happened. Then get back to me.
Earth cycles , bud.
And there aint nothing you , Al Gore or the Bilderbergers can do about it
Thats the problem with you woke humanist lefties… using anything and everything to further your agendas. I can tell you right now you have more to fear from this than any deep olive oil fried somewhere – in – the – future calamity that you try to postulate.
Atomic Bomb Explosion – YouTube
Except for the fact that the Milankovitch cycles that drive glaciation show that we should be, in fact, very slowly going into a new ice age…
Human fingerprints on climate change rule out natural cycles
With some weather events Mammoths died so quickly they still had grass held in their trunks – as did many other animals. Sometimes the changes appeared to be rapid , other times not. So it seems those cycles are not regular cycles and differ in speed of onset / duration .
Heartily recommend Simon Winchester’s ‘Krakatoa, the day the world exploded’.