NZ’s credibility melts away

Written By: - Date published: 11:58 am, August 11th, 2009 - 14 comments
Categories: climate change - Tags:

As a recent article in the Guardian newspaper asked:

“Can art succeed where science is proving insufficient to generate the will to act effectively on climate change? Scientists sound increasingly desperate as the evidence they are carefully accumulating stacks up but fails to prompt the urgency they insist it requires. Science seems only to create a panicked paralysis: a language of probabilities, statistics and numbers fails to gain traction on the public imagination.”

In other words, can art smash indifference and succeed where science and statistics fall short?

We live in hope  (particularly in light of the Government’s timid, shameful target announcement of yesterday). Check this out.

Fingers crossed that the Prime Minister is more receptive to cold hard polystyrene than he is to cold hard scientific facts.

14 comments on “NZ’s credibility melts away ”

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  1. infused 1
    11 August 2009 at 12:59 pm

    yawn. pretty boring piece there.

  2. Demeter 2
    11 August 2009 at 1:23 pm

    i actually agree. the Guardian piece as a whole put me to sleep. But the sentiment i liked; cracking the complacency and all that. Meanwhile the ice berg does wonders for Wellington’s harbour and i’m just pleased to see random groups and not the usual suspects putting their oar in on climate change.

  3. Andrei 3
    11 August 2009 at 1:24 pm

    But Polystyrene is made from petroleum by evil planet wrecking chemical companys

    And it doesn’t bio-degrade but floats in the sea where dolphins and sea birds choke on it and die.

    That’s planet wrecking if I ever saw it

    • Maynard J 3.1
      11 August 2009 at 3:02 pm

      What are you trying to argue? You sound like you are pretending to be sarcastic but since most of what you say is the truth it really does not work.

      The only stupid part is the last sentence – if it is a deliberate ploy, then I am sure the large, i.e. too-big-to-fit-in-a-dolphin’s-gob-large piece will be removed and disposed of accordingly.

      I suppose you are being as moronic as those who think that anti-capitalists should not use money, or that greens should not use aircraft. Rationality fail.

    • Killinginthenameof 3.2
      11 August 2009 at 6:28 pm

      If ACT really believed in small government they would all stand down from their jobs.

  4. Demeter 4
    11 August 2009 at 1:49 pm

    best not to sacrifice the necessary for the perfect Andrei

    • Andrei 4.1
      11 August 2009 at 3:02 pm

      I don’t know;

      Never having invested in a polystyrene iceberg from Weta workshops I have no idea what one might cost but it would seem to me that whoever paid for this has disposable income to spare and they are advocating that those that don’t pay more for the necessities of life.

      And that in my book is hypocrisy

      • Maynard J 4.1.1
        11 August 2009 at 3:05 pm

        Spending your own money in order to encourage all to spend on the cause for which you have spent your own money is hypocricy?

        Again – rationality fail. Big time.

        • Andrei 4.1.1.1
          11 August 2009 at 4:12 pm

          I have absolutely no issue with them spending their money on polystyrene icebergs.

          They can put as many of polystyrene icebergs in Wellington Harbour as they like provided they don’t interfere with other peoples lawful use of it, as far as I’m concerned.

          Just don’t expect me to take them seriously.

          Again sense of humour fail. Big time.

          • Killinginthenameof 4.1.1.1.1
            11 August 2009 at 6:30 pm

            Go and be a good rightie, all you need to do now is make up a bullshit reason why it is a danger and claim the “perpetrators” aught to be arrested.

          • Maynard J 4.1.1.1.2
            11 August 2009 at 10:04 pm

            You were not trying to make a joke. Though if you were then you have a fairly questionable sense of humour. Pretty poor cover to try and use when it is pointed out you are making no sense, but hey, take it if you think it helps you retain some dignity, or something.

  5. Killinginthenameof 5
    11 August 2009 at 6:36 pm

    It is kind of an odd situation in NZ. In most countries it is the rich who would suffer from a cut back in economic growth, and instead of doing that, they are going to let the poor die (in river deltas ect).

    New Zealand how ever, the farmers, who appear to stand to lose the most, also are going to be among the first to be effected.

    We must be prepared for this, and since they are willing to bugger us all now, it is important that we do not end up having to top them up ect once their farms turn to crap.

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