Keep it in the ground

Written By: - Date published: 2:09 pm, March 17th, 2015 - 14 comments
Categories: climate change, global warming, newspapers - Tags: , ,

The front page of The Guardian today is excellent (let it load). Click through to sign the petition:

Keep it in the ground
Join us in urging the world’s two biggest charitable funds to move their money out of fossil fuels

guardian-keep-it-in-the-ground

14 comments on “Keep it in the ground ”

  1. exit lane 1

    Well past time for NZ Herald, DomPost and other NZ media to show similar gutsy leadership

    • Maui 1.1

      I would love to see that too, but.. those “mainstream” papers are the mouthpieces of our capitalist society that runs everything on fossil fuels. They will not bite the hand that feeds, unless they’re getting paid for it.

  2. Divestment is yet another scam foisted on the ignorant.
    All investment is based on turning nature into garbage and pollution, and our inevitable extinction.
    It doesn’t matter where you invest, if you are using money (or pixels that represent money) then you are as much part of the problem as Exon etc.
    Another word for an investor is a parasite.
    Just like the 350.org crowed, the people promoting this scam haven’t a bloody clue about our true situation.
    Maybe one way of reducing global warming is to [r0b: calls for violence not even in jest please] every politician, place their ‘crosses’ in a grid pattern all around the world, being as they are such cold hearted bastards, it might bring the global temperature down. And that suggestion has as much going for it as divestment.
    Our goose is toast )

  3. Sable 3

    Not to mention banks likes ANZ and others.

  4. There is only one ‘corporation’ where divestment will reduce future suffering of humans – maternity wards 😉
    With every child born or alive today well and truly in the group that is going to suffer the most from our destruction of the environment, it is just common sense not to produce any more.
    @ 57 it is kind of comforting knowing I have the same life expectancy as a new born, ie only a matter of years.
    An ice free Arctic this summer will herald massive methane releases, we should know inside of 8 months, if the 120 million children created this year will be around for their 2nd birthday.

    • Pasupial 4.1

      RA

      Your defeatist screeds are very tedious.

      Just because you can’t achieve perfection by yourself, doesn’t mean that you should stop trying. Yes, civilisation as we know it will probably be radically different (or even nonexistant) within a century, maybe even a decade. And the prospect of Arctic methane clathrate effusion is certainly daunting. Doing nothing except wailing; “the end is nigh”, lacks style, as well as wasting other’s time into the bargain.

      All life on earth will not be extinguished by the progressing climate catastrophe. It would be better to work to ensure that there’ll be some multicellular life-forms; maybe even a few rodents, amongst the algae and bacteria that’ll remain. The odds of many humans making it past 2100 CE are remote, but it’s not inconceivable.

      Your half-witticism of closing down maternity wards is flawed in that; these are not actually required for childbirth. The rich can have private obstetricians helicoptered to their mansions, and the poor can crawl into a shack or cave to give birth. The resultant increase in child mortality and parental misery may paradoxically lead to a higher birth rate to compensate. But this doesn’t address the issue of unequal resource use – even if one were so lost to empathy as to eradicate all human life in Africa and South America (even the entire southern Hemisphere); that wouldn’t have much effect on the global emissions profile.

      Reducing emissions may be futile in maintaining the status quo, but it can increase the time available to boost the chances for the survival of some species. It’s not all about us.

      • weka 4.1.1

        +1000 Pasupial.

        (agree on maternity wards, but still think population is the thing the left can’t get to talk about).

    • fisiani 4.2

      The sky is falling said Chicken Little

    • The facts are that the planet has just hit 403 ppm CO2
      Added to that the 2 ppm CH4, which could be as much as 300 to 1,000 times a stronger GHG than CO2, and several other GHG gasses,(Nitrous oxide is = to about 100PPM CO2e) it is looking like we are around 1,000 ppm CO2/CO2e now. In the last 150 – 200 years ‘we’ have gone from 280 ppm CO2 and .7 CH4 to were we are now, in one of the past great extinction events (when nearly 90% of life went extinct) it took over 10,000 years to do what we’ve done in about 150, someone please explain why this isn’t bad?
      The last time the planet was @ 400 ppm CO2 (not counting the other contributors) the sea was about 26 meters above present levels, and the global average temperature was about 6c above pre industrial (1800ish), about the only mammal that could survive those (coming) conditions was a Shrew, which was about the size of a large bumble bee.
      Like I said we should know within the next 8 months if humanity has 2 years or 15?

      Keep tilting at windmills, I’m sure you will save humanity ….. yeah right )

  5. fisiani 5

    “Reducing emissions may be futile in maintaining the status quo, but it can increase the time available to boost the chances for the survival of some species. It’s not all about us.”
    According to the Greens … wait for it….Trees should have personhood.

    • Pasupial 5.1

      f

      Shaw’s idea of extending the legal fiction of personhood from corporations (plus; the Whanganui river, and; Te Urewera) to nonhuman organisms is not official GP policy. It seems very much the kind of thing a lawyer would think up – and that was behind Tava’s positive response to it. Hague represented the GP policy better when he talked about; “constitutional protection for our natural environment”. From 11:31 in this clip:

      http://www.3news.co.nz/tvshows/thenation/debate-part-2—who-wants-to-be-the-next-greens-co-leader-2015031409#axzz3UJAQCSK2

      Before the evolution of complex life, there was 2 billion years of bacteria and other single cell organisms (that’s why there is so much oxygen in the atmosphere). Even after the evolution of the first multicellular organisms, it was another 1.5 billion years until the Cambrian Explosion. Since then, it has been a mere 500 million years to our time, and that has included at least 5 mass extinction events.

      Given all this, it would be a shame if the anthropogenic extinction period we are living through was to reduce the diversity of organisms back to the precambrian. Human greed may prove sufficient to eradicate humanity, but we need not destroy the entire biosphere while we’re at it.

      There’s even the outside chance that we’ll stop fouling our nest soon enough to prevent our own extinction.

      • weka 5.1.1

        I don’t know what the legal ins and outs of personhood mean, but there are other models. Bolivia is leading the way on this with it Law of the Rights of Mother Earth which was passed in 2010. Details are still being developed but below are the translation of the act. In NZ Moana Jackson and Margaret Mutu have been doing much work on a NZ constitution that is tikanga based and includes nature rights.

        The law enumerates seven specific rights to which Mother Earth and her constituent life systems, including human communities, are entitled to:[9]

        To life: It is the right to the maintenance of the integrity of life systems and natural processes which sustain them, as well as the capacities and conditions for their renewal

        To the Diversity of Life: It is the right to the preservation of the differentiation and variety of the beings that comprise Mother Earth, without being genetically altered, nor artificially modified in their structure, in such a manner that threatens their existence, functioning and future potential

        To water: It is the right of the preservation of the quality and composition of water to sustain life systems and their protection with regards to contamination, for renewal of the life of Mother Earth and all its components

        To clean air: It is the right of the preservation of the quality and composition of air to sustain life systems and their protection with regards to contamination, for renewal of the life of Mother Earth and all its components

        To equilibrium: It is the right to maintenance or restoration of the inter-relation, interdependence, ability to complement and functionality of the components of Mother Earth, in a balanced manner for the continuation of its cycles and the renewal of its vital processes

        To restoration: It is the right to the effective and opportune restoration of life systems affected by direct or indirect human activities

        To live free of contamination: It is the right for preservation of Mother Earth and any of its components with regards to toxic and radioactive waste generated by human activities

        http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Law_of_the_Rights_of_Mother_Earth

        I think Shaw and Tava are leading the way on this for Pākēhā, but am not yet convinced about how they are doing it. Hague’s comment that the solution to corporate personhood was to remove that right from corporations is probably spot on, but it doesn’t do anything to protect the rights of nature. As Moana Jackson said in his Waitangi Day speech, if you build nature rights into the constitution then you don’t have to end up protesting Statoil, or whatever the insanity du jour is.

        Jackson at Waitangi (12mins) https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_Yf81erxrdA

Recent Comments

Recent Posts

  • EV road user charges bill passes
    Transport Minister Simeon Brown has welcomed the passing of legislation to move light electric vehicles (EVs) and plug-in hybrid electric vehicles (PHEVs) into the road user charges system from 1 April.  “It was always intended that EVs and PHEVs would be exempt from road user charges until they reached two ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    8 hours ago
  • Bill targets illegal, unregulated fishing in international waters
    New Zealand is strengthening its ability to combat illegal fishing outside its domestic waters and beef up regulation for its own commercial fishers in international waters through a Bill which had its first reading in Parliament today. The Fisheries (International Fishing and Other Matters) Amendment Bill 2023 sets out stronger ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    9 hours ago
  • Reserve Bank appointments
    Economists Carl Hansen and Professor Prasanna Gai have been appointed to the Reserve Bank Monetary Policy Committee, Finance Minister Nicola Willis announced today. The Monetary Policy Committee (MPC) is the independent decision-making body that sets the Official Cash Rate which determines interest rates.  Carl Hansen, the executive director of Capital ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    10 hours ago
  • Stronger protections for apartment owners
    Apartment owners and buyers will soon have greater protections as further changes to the law on unit titles come into effect, Housing Minister Chris Bishop says. “The Unit Titles (Strengthening Body Corporate Governance and Other Matters) Amendment Act had already introduced some changes in December 2022 and May 2023, and ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    12 hours ago
  • Travel focused on traditional partners and Middle East
    Foreign Minister Winston Peters will travel to Egypt and Europe from this weekend.    “This travel will focus on a range of New Zealand’s traditional diplomatic and security partnerships while enabling broad engagement on the urgent situation in Gaza,” Mr Peters says.   Mr Peters will attend the NATO Foreign ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    12 hours ago
  • Keep safe on our roads this Easter
    Transport Minister Simeon Brown is encouraging all road users to stay safe, plan their journeys ahead of time, and be patient with other drivers while travelling around this Easter long weekend. “Road safety is a responsibility we all share, and with increased traffic on our roads expected this Easter we ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    15 hours ago
  • Cost of living support for over 1.4 million Kiwis
    About 1.4 million New Zealanders will receive cost of living relief through increased government assistance from April 1 909,000 pensioners get a boost to Superannuation, including 5000 veterans 371,000 working-age beneficiaries will get higher payments 45,000 students will see an increase in their allowance Over a quarter of New Zealanders ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    15 hours ago
  • Tenancy reviews for social housing restart
    Ensuring social housing is being provided to those with the greatest needs is front of mind as the Government restarts social housing tenancy reviews, Associate Housing Minister Tama Potaka says. “Our relentless focus on building a strong economy is to ensure we can deliver better public services such as social ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    15 hours ago
  • Kermadec Ocean Sanctuary plan halted
    The Kermadec Ocean Sanctuary will not go ahead, with Cabinet deciding to stop work on the proposed reserve and remove the Bill that would have established it from Parliament’s order paper. “The Kermadec Ocean Sanctuary Bill would have created a 620,000 sq km economic no-go zone,” Oceans and Fisheries Minister ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    16 hours ago
  • Cutting all that dam red tape
    Dam safety regulations are being amended so that smaller dams won’t be subject to excessive compliance costs, Minister for Building and Construction Chris Penk says. “The coalition Government is focused on reducing costs and removing unnecessary red tape so we can get the economy back on track.  “Dam safety regulations ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    16 hours ago
  • Drought support extended to parts of North Island
    The coalition Government is expanding the medium-scale adverse event classification to parts of the North Island as dry weather conditions persist, Agriculture Minister Todd McClay announced today. “I have made the decision to expand the medium-scale adverse event classification already in place for parts of the South Island to also cover the ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    17 hours ago
  • Passage of major tax bill welcomed
    The passing of legislation giving effect to coalition Government tax commitments has been welcomed by Finance Minister Nicola Willis.  “The Taxation (Annual Rates for 2023–24, Multinational Tax, and Remedial Matters) Bill will help place New Zealand on a more secure economic footing, improve outcomes for New Zealanders, and make our tax system ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    1 day ago
  • Lifting economy through science, tertiary sectors
    Science, Innovation and Technology Minister Judith Collins and Tertiary Education and Skills Minister Penny Simmonds today announced plans to transform our science and university sectors to boost the economy. Two advisory groups, chaired by Professor Sir Peter Gluckman, will advise the Government on how these sectors can play a greater ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    1 day ago
  • Government announces Budget priorities
    The Budget will deliver urgently-needed tax relief to hard-working New Zealanders while putting the government’s finances back on a sustainable track, Finance Minister Nicola Willis says.  The Finance Minister made the comments at the release of the Budget Policy Statement setting out the Government’s Budget objectives. “The coalition Government intends ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    2 days ago
  • Government to consider accommodation solution
    The coalition Government will look at options to address a zoning issue that limits how much financial support Queenstown residents can get for accommodation. Cabinet has agreed on a response to the Petitions Committee, which had recommended the geographic information MSD uses to determine how much accommodation supplement can be ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    2 days ago
  • Government approves extension to Royal Commission of Inquiry into Abuse in Care
    Cabinet has agreed to a short extension to the final reporting timeframe for the Royal Commission into Abuse in Care from 28 March 2024 to 26 June 2024, Internal Affairs Minister Brooke van Velden says.                                         “The Royal Commission wrote to me on 16 February 2024, requesting that I consider an ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    2 days ago
  • $18m boost for Kiwis travelling to health treatment
    The coalition Government is delivering an $18 million boost to New Zealanders needing to travel for specialist health treatment, Health Minister Dr Shane Reti says.   “These changes are long overdue – the National Travel Assistance (NTA) scheme saw its last increase to mileage and accommodation rates way back in 2009.  ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    2 days ago
  • PM’s Prizes for Space to showcase sector’s talent
    The Government is recognising the innovative and rising talent in New Zealand’s growing space sector, with the Prime Minister and Space Minister Judith Collins announcing the new Prime Minister’s Prizes for Space today. “New Zealand has a growing reputation as a high-value partner for space missions and research. I am ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    3 days ago
  • Concerns conveyed to China over cyber activity
    Foreign Minister Winston Peters has confirmed New Zealand’s concerns about cyber activity have been conveyed directly to the Chinese Government.     “The Prime Minister and Minister Collins have expressed concerns today about malicious cyber activity, attributed to groups sponsored by the Chinese Government, targeting democratic institutions in both New ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    3 days ago
  • Independent Reviewers appointed for School Property Inquiry
    Independent Reviewers appointed for School Property Inquiry Education Minister Erica Stanford today announced the appointment of three independent reviewers to lead the Ministerial Inquiry into the Ministry of Education’s School Property Function.  The Inquiry will be led by former Minister of Foreign Affairs Murray McCully. “There is a clear need ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    3 days ago
  • Brynderwyns open for Easter
    State Highway 1 across the Brynderwyns will be open for Easter weekend, with work currently underway to ensure the resilience of this critical route being paused for Easter Weekend to allow holiday makers to travel north, Transport Minister Simeon Brown says. “Today I visited the Brynderwyn Hills construction site, where ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    3 days ago
  • Speech to the Infrastructure Funding & Financing Conference
    Introduction Good morning to you all, and thanks for having me bright and early today. I am absolutely delighted to be the Minister for Infrastructure alongside the Minister of Housing and Resource Management Reform. I know the Prime Minister sees the three roles as closely connected and he wants me ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    3 days ago
  • Parliamentary network breached by the PRC
    New Zealand stands with the United Kingdom in its condemnation of People’s Republic of China (PRC) state-backed malicious cyber activity impacting its Electoral Commission and targeting Members of the UK Parliament. “The use of cyber-enabled espionage operations to interfere with democratic institutions and processes anywhere is unacceptable,” Minister Responsible for ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    3 days ago
  • NZ to provide support for Solomon Islands election
    Foreign Minister Winston Peters and Defence Minister Judith Collins today announced New Zealand will provide logistics support for the upcoming Solomon Islands election. “We’re sending a team of New Zealand Defence Force personnel and two NH90 helicopters to provide logistics support for the election on 17 April, at the request ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    3 days ago
  • NZ-EU FTA gains Royal Assent for 1 May entry to force
    The European Union Free Trade Agreement Legislation Amendment Bill received Royal Assent today, completing the process for New Zealand’s ratification of its free trade agreement with the European Union.    “I am pleased to announce that today, in a small ceremony at the Beehive, New Zealand notified the European Union ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    3 days ago
  • COVID-19 inquiry attracts 11,000 submissions
    Public consultation on the terms of reference for the Royal Commission into COVID-19 Lessons has concluded, Internal Affairs Minister Hon Brooke van Velden says.  “I have been advised that there were over 11,000 submissions made through the Royal Commission’s online consultation portal.” Expanding the scope of the Royal Commission of ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    3 days ago
  • Families to receive up to $75 a week help with ECE fees
    Hardworking families are set to benefit from a new credit to help them meet their early childcare education (ECE) costs, Finance Minister Nicola Willis says. From 1 July, parents and caregivers of young children will be supported to manage the rising cost of living with a partial reimbursement of their ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    3 days ago
  • Unlocking a sustainable, low-emissions future
    A specialised Independent Technical Advisory Group (ITAG) tasked with preparing and publishing independent non-binding advice on the design of a "green" (sustainable finance) taxonomy rulebook is being established, Climate Change Minister Simon Watts says.  “Comprising experts and market participants, the ITAG's primary goal is to deliver comprehensive recommendations to the ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    4 days ago
  • Chief of Army thanked for his service
    Defence Minister Judith Collins has thanked the Chief of Army, Major General John Boswell, DSD, for his service as he leaves the Army after 40 years. “I would like to thank Major General Boswell for his contribution to the Army and the wider New Zealand Defence Force, undertaking many different ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    4 days ago
  • Minister to meet Australian counterparts and Manufacturing Industry Leaders
    25 March 2024 Minister to meet Australian counterparts and Manufacturing Industry Leaders Small Business, Manufacturing, Commerce and Consumer Affairs Minister Andrew Bayly will travel to Australia for a series of bi-lateral meetings and manufacturing visits. During the visit, Minister Bayly will meet with his Australian counterparts, Senator Tim Ayres, Ed ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    4 days ago
  • Government commits nearly $3 million for period products in schools
    Government commits almost $3 million for period products in schools The Coalition Government has committed $2.9 million to ensure intermediate and secondary schools continue providing period products to those who need them, Minister of Education Erica Stanford announced today. “This is an issue of dignity and ensuring young women don’t ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    5 days ago
  • Speech – Making it easier to build.
    Good morning, it’s great to be here.   First, I would like to acknowledge the New Zealand Institute of Building Surveyors and thank you for the opportunity to be here this morning.  I would like to use this opportunity to outline the Government’s ambitious plan and what we hope to ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    6 days ago
  • Pacific youth to shine from boost to Polyfest
    Minister for Pacific Peoples Dr Shane Reti has announced the Government’s commitment to the Auckland Secondary Schools Māori and Pacific Islands Cultural Festival, more commonly known as Polyfest. “The Ministry for Pacific Peoples is a longtime supporter of Polyfest and, as it celebrates 49 years in 2024, I’m proud to ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    6 days ago
  • 2024 Ngarimu VC and 28th (Māori) Battalion Memorial Scholarships announced
    ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    6 days ago
  • Speech to Breast Cancer Foundation – Insights Conference
    Before moving onto the substance of today’s address, I want to recognise the very significant and ongoing contribution the Breast Cancer Foundation makes to support the lives of New Zealand women and their families living with breast cancer. I very much enjoy working with you. I also want to recognise ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    6 days ago
  • Kiwi research soars to International Space Station
    New Zealand has notched up a first with the launch of University of Canterbury research to the International Space Station, Science, Innovation and Technology and Space Minister Judith Collins says. The hardware, developed by Dr Sarah Kessans, is designed to operate autonomously in orbit, allowing scientists on Earth to study ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    7 days ago
  • Speech to the New Zealand Planning Institute
    Introduction Thank you for inviting me to speak with you today and I’m sorry I can’t be there in person. Yesterday I started in Wellington for Breakfast TV, spoke to a property conference in Auckland, and finished the day speaking to local government in Christchurch, so it would have been ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    7 days ago
  • Support for Northland emergency response centre
    The Coalition Government is contributing more than $1 million to support the establishment of an emergency multi-agency coordination centre in Northland. Emergency Management and Recovery Minister Mark Mitchell announced the contribution today during a visit of the Whangārei site where the facility will be constructed.  “Northland has faced a number ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    7 days ago
  • Celebrating 20 years of Whakaata Māori
    New Zealanders have enjoyed a broader range of voices telling the story of Aotearoa thanks to the creation of Whakaata Māori 20 years ago, says Māori Development Minister Tama Potaka. The minister spoke at a celebration marking the national indigenous media organisation’s 20th anniversary at their studio in Auckland on ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    7 days ago
  • Some commercial fishery catch limits increased
    Commercial catch limits for some fisheries have been increased following a review showing stocks are healthy and abundant, Ocean and Fisheries Minister Shane Jones says. The changes, along with some other catch limit changes and management settings, begin coming into effect from 1 April 2024. "Regular biannual reviews of fish ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    7 days ago

Page generated in The Standard by Wordpress at 2024-03-28T12:18:32+00:00