National is yeah nah on climate change

Written By: - Date published: 8:21 am, April 30th, 2018 - 34 comments
Categories: business, capitalism, climate change, Economy, Environment, ETS, global warming, greens, labour, national, same old national, science, Simon Bridges, sustainability - Tags:

The National Blue Green conference was on on this weekend.

There was a bit of a kerfuffle within the Greens’ ranks when former Green MP Kennedy Graham accepted an invitation to speak.  I don’t think too much should be read into it.  He is the brother of former National cabinet minister Doug Graham and I am sure the arrangement was easy to make.  And all parties should be made to confront climate change and get their heads around what is needed to address this most terrifying of phenomenon.

National’s problem is that wittingly or unwittingly it refuses to accept that urgent action is required now.  It has at least moved on from denial.  But its current response is couched in the turgid language of compromise and it is clearly not wishing upset its right wing base, its farmer lobby or its corporate friends.

At one level I can understand this.  Because National’s supporters are always resistant if not hostile to change.

This recent article by Jamie Morton in the Herald exemplifies the problem.  From the article:

More Kiwis want action on climate change than at any time in the past decade – but large numbers still don’t see a need to deal with it now, or even at all.

Horizon Research’s latest poll was carried out after New Zealand’s hottest summer in recorded history – and some of its findings have concerned a prominent climate scientist who says the world is running out of time to act.

Of 1164 adults surveyed nationwide last month, 64 per cent believed climate change was a problem, and 29 per cent of those thought it was an urgent problem.

But 30 per cent thought it was problem for later or not one at all; a result that suggested more than two million Kiwis were concerned about climate change, but 960,000 weren’t so worried.

The concern is down 12% from a decade ago although higher than it was recently.  It seems a decade of National Government has sucked some of us into a false sense of security.

Horizon Research broke down beliefs by political support and this produced some surprising results.  Below is the graph.

Even a majority of National supporters (54% to 43%) thought that climate change was an urgent problem or a problem that needed action now.

ACT supporters were the only political supporters where a majority did not think that climate change was a major problem but this should be tempered by the understanding that it must have been hard to find enough ACT supporters to make the result statistically significant.

And I would be keen to interview the 4% of Green Party supporters who thought climate change was a problem for the future and not now.

But it shows why National accepts that it has to be seen to be doing something.  The question is, how much is the minimum that they have to do before they start unduly upsetting their supporters and the corporates and farmers?

This is something that Simon Bridges attempted to address in his speech to the Blue Greens Conference.

From Joel Ineson at Stuff:

National leader Simon Bridges has pledged his party will have a strong environmental focus with a broadchurch approach to thinking.

“It’s important that we are pushing the envelope and that we hear from thinkers from a whole range of perspectives… We want to make sure that in Opposition we’re thinking things through and challenging our thinking and resetting things in some places.

Bridges challenged his party, staff and supporters with “resetting our approach to environmental issues”.

He said a strong economy, education, healthcare and social services were not worthwhile “if we’ve ruined the environment”.

“Good environmental practice is crucial for securing the type of future we want for our children and grandchildren.

“My view is that people aren’t used to hearing a National Party leader talk like this, but I’ve said right from the start that the environment is important to me and the National Party … The environment isn’t an optional extra.”

Every piece of rhetoric in the above passage is designed to say the right thing to the public at large.  But after this the rhetoric starts to drift away from the reality.

Bridges was “proud” of the work the previous government achieved during its nine years, introducing an emissions trading scheme, Predator Free NZ and the Environmental Reporting Act, but a continued and ramped-up effort was needed.

I don’t know if that is sloppy reporting or a misspeak on Bridges part.  For some reason I cannot find his speech on the web or any of his speeches for that purpose.  But the fifth Labour Government introduced the Emissions Trading Scheme.  National amended the scheme twice, the first in 2009 and the second in 2012.

The first changes were described in a New Zealand Herald editorial as an “emasculated version of a cap-and-trade scheme” and as a  “miserable offering to the international effort”.  And the Sydney Morning Herald, hardly a beacon for environmental enlightenment said that the ETS had been “significantly watered down” and that it gave “big polluters a much easier ride”.  The changes allowed for the unrestricted importation of overseas credits, something that caused international ridicule and opprobrium.

The second changes made things even worse.  The two-for-one unit surrender transitional measure was extended indefinitely beyond 2012, the entry of agriculture into the scheme was deferred indefinitely.

And how was National’s performance in relation to reducing climate change gas emissions?

Pretty appalling as this graph shows.  We are not on track to meet our requirements, we are not even being a fast follower.   We are part of the problem, not part of the solution.

National has clearly moved on from the old rhetoric of denial.  But its latest rhetoric, that there needs to be “balance” is designed for more of the same obfuscation and foot dragging.

When National comes out and say that we are collectively facing a crisis and urgent action is needed and then set out precisely what they would do including how we can deal with agriculture emissions then they can be taken seriously then they can be taken seriously.  Until then they will continue to be part of the problem.

 

 

34 comments on “National is yeah nah on climate change ”

  1. Pat 1

    Yes National are appalling dissemblers on climate change however its pretty damn obvious that the bulk of current thinking irrespective of political leaning is ‘we must do something, as long as it dosn’t impact me’….until that changes little else will.

    • Draco T Bastard 1.1

      +1

    • Cinny 1.2

      Indeed.

      Just goes to show national don’t care about our environment unless it involves gaining votes.

      • soddenleaf 1.2.1

        hostile to change, so much for the veneer of being capitalist. Green economy is opportunity for capitalism. Capitalism is pro or anti ecology, it’s conservatism that always stands in the way of necessity, whether pro or anti green.

        Take recently Bridges’, Arthur Scargill moment, rant about lost jobs ‘in mine’ or be it the petrol chemical industry. So much for the entrepreneurial free market party backing change for the greater good of the economy.

        But that’s the b teams role, to make Nats unpalatable and so create the opportunity in four year for a new momentum.

    • Peter ChCh 1.3

      ‘As long as it does not impact me’. Agree. We can see this clearly in the current crop of Green Mps. They talk the talk but do not walk the walk. They are hugely disproportionate users of air travel compared with other MPs and Ministers.

      https://www.parliament.nz/en/mps-and-electorates/mps-expenses/members-expense-disclosure-1-october-to-31-december-2017/

      • You_Fool 1.3.1

        ummm. lies…

        Green air travel expenses is the least per MP of all parties

        Green $4,523.13 /mp
        Act $4,637.00 /mp
        NZF $4,959.33 /mp
        Labour $5,626.86 /mp
        National $6,100.38 /mp

        Top spending Green is 13th on the overall list, and is Marama Davidson – not sure if her travel for campaign to be Green’s co-leader is counted?

        next Green is Chloe at 21st, Golriz at 25th. 4 Green MPs are in the bottom 25 of reported spending, including James Shaw.

  2. esoteric pineapples 2

    “fast follower” = doing nothing

    National is looking for that magical world where you can have things just the way you want them at the same time as reducing global warming – as are a lot of New Zealanders in general

    • AB 2.1

      “fast follower” = doing nothing
      All fast followers prefer to follow other fast followers. When there are only followers, how far up your a*se can you stick a corporate cliché?
      Answer: all the way, because everybody is behind everybody else.

      • SpaceMonkey 2.1.1

        Ha! Which means everyone is moving in a circle. Round and round…

  3. cleangreen 3

    Bloody good article thanks Mickey well done.

    Listening to national Leader Simon Bridges this morning on RNZ “morning report” and his ranting at the “regional infrastructure funding” hate he had for it and that he would “bin” it if his party got in in 2020 is so laughable.

    Bridges said nothing about the climate change or that truck freight is growing at an average nationally of 6% annually which is due to treble by 2035 (NZTA stats ‘ 2014/2017 freight demands study’)

    This transport emissions rise alone will from road freight kill any chance of us reaching our commitment to the paris carbon emissions target if rail is not supported here as bridges has indicated to us that he is lot keen of considering national rail freight policies again as labour is doing now.

    It is so disheartening that very little if nothing is even spoken about rail policy at all except for Auckland rail passenger services but nothing nationally about rail.

    Labour in 2004 championed a new “National Rail Strategy” that now needs to be actioned as when National got in in 2009 they “bined” it.

    https://www.transport.govt.nz/assets/Import/Documents/nationalrailstrategy.pdf

  4. Leaps 4

    This is an excellent post summarising National’s response to do with anything for the environment.
    Nationalistas really don’t get the fact that if you truly care about the environment then a lot of the Green party’s social policies are needed as well to help re-balance society to enable the environment to improve. It’s just not logically possible to deliver meaningful environmental goals while putting the economy first every time. And of course that’s not to say that these Green policies will destroy the economy, but will reshape it.

  5. Anne 5

    The ‘climate concern by party’ graph makes for interesting reading. All three coalition government parties have majority support for urgent action needed now. ACT of course is still in la la land, and National has managed to reach slightly over the halfway mark. They’re getting there but oh so slowly… as has been borne out by they’re past performance in government.

    Exactly the same situation occurred during the 60s, 70s and 80s when the anti-nuclear debates were raging. It took National umpteen years to admit to any concern and even when they did it was reluctantly conceded. It seems to be in their psyche to look backward to the past rather than forward to the future.

  6. Cold Hard Truth 6

    100 multi national companies are responsible for a large part of the climate change we are experiencing. The same companies can stand to tell us what to do if we sign up the the CP-TPP.

    • cleangreen 6.1

      True that is Cold Hard Truth.

      These 100 companies are a constant threat to the whole global population as well, and should face legal charges against humanity.

      we should see a global “class action lawsuit ” against them, we will join against these criminals.

  7. Ssorwredna 7

    From February 2016 to February 2018 the global average temperatures dropped 0.56°C. Is this good or bad climate change??

  8. SPC 8

    Yup Graham attending was a non issue, he led the climate change cross party group in parliament.

  9. Well maybe those who are unconcerned about climate alarmism are looking at real-world evidence, like the fact that Tuvalu is actually expanding http://www.nzgeo.com/stories/tuvalu-rising/

  10. Rob 10

    I love your line about Bridges and misspeak I’m not sure if he is speaking at all or which side of his mouth the noise comes from!

Recent Comments

Recent Posts

  • Te Whānau a Apanui and the Crown initial Deed of Settlement I Kua waitohua e Te Whānau a Apanui me...
    Māori: Kua waitohua e Te Whānau a Apanui me te Karauna te Whakaaetanga Whakataunga Kua waitohua e Te Whānau a Apanui me te Karauna i tētahi Whakaaetanga Whakataunga hei whakamihi i ō rātou tāhuhu kerēme Tiriti o Waitangi. E tekau mā rua ngā hapū o roto mai o Te Whānau ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    24 hours ago
  • Plan for 3,000 more public homes by 2025 – regions set to benefit
    Regions around the country will get significant boosts of public housing in the next two years, as outlined in the latest public housing plan update, released by the Housing Minister, Dr Megan Woods. “We’re delivering the most public homes each year since the Nash government of the 1950s with one ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    3 days ago
  • Immigration settings updates
    Judicial warrant process for out-of-hours compliance visits 2023/24 Recognised Seasonal Employer cap increased by 500 Additional roles for Construction and Infrastructure Sector Agreement More roles added to Green List Three-month extension for onshore Recovery Visa holders The Government has confirmed a number of updates to immigration settings as part of ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    4 days ago
  • Poroporoaki: Tā Patrick (Patu) Wahanga Hohepa
    Tangi ngunguru ana ngā tai ki te wahapū o Hokianga Whakapau Karakia. Tārehu ana ngā pae maunga ki Te Puna o te Ao Marama. Korihi tangi ana ngā manu, kua hinga he kauri nui ki te Wao Nui o Tāne. He Toa. He Pou. He Ahorangi. E papaki tū ana ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    5 days ago
  • Renewable energy fund to support community resilience
    40 solar energy systems on community buildings in regions affected by Cyclone Gabrielle and other severe weather events Virtual capability-building hub to support community organisations get projects off the ground Boost for community-level renewable energy projects across the country At least 40 community buildings used to support the emergency response ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    5 days ago
  • COVID-19 funding returned to Government
    The lifting of COVID-19 isolation and mask mandates in August has resulted in a return of almost $50m in savings and recovered contingencies, Minister of Health Dr Ayesha Verrall announced today. Following the revocation of mandates and isolation, specialised COVID-19 telehealth and alternative isolation accommodation are among the operational elements ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    5 days ago
  • Appointment of District Court Judge
    Susie Houghton of Auckland has been appointed as a new District Court Judge, to serve on the Family Court, Attorney-General David Parker said today.  Judge Houghton has acted as a lawyer for child for more than 20 years. She has acted on matters relating to the Hague Convention, an international ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    5 days ago
  • Government invests further in Central Hawke’s Bay resilience
    The Government has today confirmed $2.5 million to fund a replace and upgrade a stopbank to protect the Waipawa Drinking Water Treatment Plant. “As a result of Cyclone Gabrielle, the original stopbank protecting the Waipawa Drinking Water Treatment Plant was destroyed. The plant was operational within 6 weeks of the ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    6 days ago
  • Govt boost for Hawke’s Bay cyclone waste clean-up
    Another $2.1 million to boost capacity to deal with waste left in Cyclone Gabrielle’s wake. Funds for Hastings District Council, Phoenix Contracting and Hog Fuel NZ to increase local waste-processing infrastructure. The Government is beefing up Hawke’s Bay’s Cyclone Gabrielle clean-up capacity with more support dealing with the massive amount ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    6 days ago
  • Taupō Supercars revs up with Government support
    The future of Supercars events in New Zealand has been secured with new Government support. The Government is getting engines started through the Major Events Fund, a special fund to support high profile events in New Zealand that provide long-term economic, social and cultural benefits. “The Repco Supercars Championship is ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    6 days ago
  • There is no recession in NZ, economy grows nearly 1 percent in June quarter
    The economy has turned a corner with confirmation today New Zealand never was in recession and stronger than expected growth in the June quarter, Finance Minister Grant Robertson said. “The New Zealand economy is doing better than expected,” Grant Robertson said. “It’s continuing to grow, with the latest figures showing ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    6 days ago
  • Highest legal protection for New Zealand’s largest freshwater springs
    The Government has accepted the Environment Court’s recommendation to give special legal protection to New Zealand’s largest freshwater springs, Te Waikoropupū Springs (also known as Pupū Springs), Environment Minister David Parker announced today.   “Te Waikoropupū Springs, near Takaka in Golden Bay, have the second clearest water in New Zealand after ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    6 days ago
  • More support for victims of migrant exploitation
    Temporary package of funding for accommodation and essential living support for victims of migrant exploitation Exploited migrant workers able to apply for a further Migrant Exploitation Protection Visa (MEPV), giving people more time to find a job Free job search assistance to get people back into work Use of 90-day ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    7 days ago
  • Strong export boost as NZ economy turns corner
    An export boost is supporting New Zealand’s economy to grow, adding to signs that the economy has turned a corner and is on a stronger footing as we rebuild from Cyclone Gabrielle and lock in the benefits of multiple new trade deals, Finance Minister Grant Robertson says. “The economy is ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    1 week ago
  • Funding approved for flood resilience work in Te Karaka
    The Government has approved $15 million to raise about 200 homes at risk of future flooding. More than half of this is expected to be spent in the Tairāwhiti settlement of Te Karaka, lifting about 100 homes there. “Te Karaka was badly hit during Cyclone Gabrielle when the Waipāoa River ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    1 week ago
  • Further business support for cyclone-affected regions
    The Government is helping businesses recover from Cyclone Gabrielle and attract more people back into their regions. “Cyclone Gabrielle has caused considerable damage across North Island regions with impacts continuing to be felt by businesses and communities,” Economic Development Minister Barbara Edmonds said. “Building on our earlier business support, this ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    1 week ago
  • New maintenance facility at Burnham Military Camp underway
    Defence Minister Andrew Little has turned the first sod to start construction of a new Maintenance Support Facility (MSF) at Burnham Military Camp today. “This new state-of-art facility replaces Second World War-era buildings and will enable our Defence Force to better maintain and repair equipment,” Andrew Little said. “This Government ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    1 week ago
  • Foreign Minister to attend United Nations General Assembly
    Foreign Minister Nanaia Mahuta will represent New Zealand at the 78th Session of the United Nations General Assembly (UNGA) in New York this week, before visiting Washington DC for further Pacific focussed meetings. Nanaia Mahuta will be in New York from Wednesday 20 September, and will participate in UNGA leaders ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    1 week ago
  • Midwives’ pay equity offer reached
    Around 1,700 Te Whatu Ora employed midwives and maternity care assistants will soon vote on a proposed pay equity settlement agreed by Te Whatu Ora, the Midwifery Employee Representation and Advisory Service (MERAS) and New Zealand Nurses Association (NZNO), Minister of Health Dr Ayesha Verrall announced today. “Addressing historical pay ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    2 weeks ago
  • New Zealand provides support to Morocco
    Aotearoa New Zealand will provide humanitarian support to those affected by last week’s earthquake in Morocco, Foreign Minister Nanaia Mahuta announced today. “We are making a contribution of $1 million to the International Federation of Red Cross and Red Crescent Societies (IFRC) to help meet humanitarian needs,” Nanaia Mahuta said. ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    2 weeks ago
  • Government invests in West Coast’s roading resilience
    The Government is investing over $22 million across 18 projects to improve the resilience of roads in the West Coast that have been affected by recent extreme weather, Prime Minister Chris Hipkins confirmed today.  A dedicated Transport Resilience Fund has been established for early preventative works to protect the state ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    2 weeks ago
  • Government invests in Greymouth’s future
    The Government has today confirmed a $2 million grant towards the regeneration of Greymouth’s CBD with construction of a new two-level commercial and public facility. “It will include a visitor facility centred around a new library. Additionally, it will include retail outlets on the ground floor, and both outdoor and ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    2 weeks ago
  • Nanaia Mahuta to attend PIF Foreign Ministers’ Meeting
    Foreign Minister Nanaia Mahuta will attend the Pacific Islands Forum (PIF) Foreign Ministers’ Meeting, in Suva, Fiji alongside New Zealand’s regional counterparts. “Aotearoa New Zealand is deeply committed to working with our pacific whanau to strengthen our cooperation, and share ways to combat the challenges facing the Blue Pacific Continent,” ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    2 weeks ago
  • PREFU shows no recession, growing economy, more jobs and wages ahead of inflation
    Economy to grow 2.6 percent on average over forecast period Treasury not forecasting a recession Inflation to return to the 1-3 percent target band next year Wages set to grow 4.8 percent a year over forecast period Unemployment to peak below the long-term average Fiscal Rules met - Net debt ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    2 weeks ago
  • New cancer centre opens in Christchurch
    Prime Minister Chris Hipkins and Minister of Health Dr Ayesha Verrall proudly opened the Canterbury Cancer Centre in Christchurch today. The new facility is the first of its kind and was built with $6.5 million of funding from the Government’s Infrastructure Reference Group scheme for shovel-ready projects allocated in 2020. ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    2 weeks ago
  • Government invests in top of the south’s roading resilience
    $12 million to improve the resilience of roads in the Nelson, Marlborough and Tasman regions Hope Bypass earmarked in draft Government Policy Statement on land transport $127 million invested in the top of the south’s roads since flooding in 2021 and 2022 The Government is investing over $12 million to ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    2 weeks ago
  • New Zealanders continue to support the revitalisation of te reo as we celebrate Te Wiki o te Reo Mā...
    Ko tēnei te wiki e whakanui ana i tō tātou reo rangatira. Ko te wā tuku reo Māori, e whakanuia tahitia ai te reo ahakoa kei hea ake tēnā me tēnā o tātou, ka tū ā te Rātū te 14 o Mahuru, ā te 12 o ngā hāora i te ahiahi. ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    2 weeks ago
  • New Wildlife Act to better protect native species
    The 70-year-old Wildlife Act will be replaced with modern, fit-for-purpose legislation to better protect native species and improve biodiversity, Minister of Conservation Willow-Jean Prime has announced.   “New species legislation is urgently needed to address New Zealand’s biodiversity crisis,” Willow-Jean Prime said.   “More than 4,000 of our native species are currently ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    3 weeks ago
  • Further safety initiatives for Auckland City Centre
    Central and Local Government are today announcing a range of new measures to tackle low-level crime and anti-social behaviour in the Auckland CBD to complement Police scaling up their presence in the area. “Police have an important role to play in preventing and responding to crime, but there is more ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    3 weeks ago
  • Govt confirms additional support for Enabling Good Lives
    The Government has confirmed $73.7 million over the next four years and a further $40.5m in outyears to continue to transform the disability support system, Minister for Disability Issues Priyanca Radhakrishnan has announced. “The Enabling Good Lives (EGL) approach is a framework which guides positive change for disabled people, ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    3 weeks ago
  • New Zealand gets AAA credit rating from S&P
    Standard and Poor’s is the latest independent credit rating agency to endorse the Government’s economic management in the face of a deteriorating global economy. S&P affirmed New Zealand’s long term local currency rating at AAA and foreign currency rating at AA+ with a stable outlook. It follows Fitch affirming New ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    3 weeks ago
  • Appointment of Environment Court Judge
    Christchurch barrister Kelvin Reid has been appointed as a Judge of the Environment Court and the District Court, Attorney-General David Parker announced today. Mr Reid has extensive experience in Resource Management Act issues, including water quality throughout the South Island. He was appointed to the Technical Advisory Group advising the ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    3 weeks ago
  • NZ’s biggest ever emissions reduction project hits milestone
    New Zealand is on track to have greener steel as soon as 2026 with New Zealand Steel’s electric arc furnace project reaching a major milestone today.   The Government announced a conditional partnership with New Zealand Steel in May to deliver the country’s largest emissions reduction project to date. Half of ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    3 weeks ago

Page generated in The Standard by Wordpress at 2023-09-27T00:52:34+00:00