Well those are two huge public figures, and I’m a very minor blogger, but apart from that I would certainly be proud to be counted in their company on the issue of climate change.
From what I read they were the worst tornadoes in 60 years – so obviously they had worse tornadoes 60 years ago before the climate change idea had been invented – proves nothing.
Same with the Mississippi floods – worst since 1927 – again a historic flood of similar magnitude decades before climate change mantra become the latest fad.
so obviously they had worse tornadoes 60 years ago before the climate change idea had been invented – proves nothing.
As with all things climate change you are confusing weather with climate. And in this case it’s hard to know exactly what they mean when they say ‘the worst in 60 years’. Do they mean the most frequent, the most intense, the highest damage or the worst death toll? It’s a pretty imprecise comparison being made here; besides a single weather event can never ‘prove’ anything about climate change. We know that; we’ve been saying it forever.
But in the context of the truly Biblical floods in the Missisippi and the equally dire drought in the US Southwest things start to look different.
Globally the view is equally concerning with major re-insurance companies such as Munich Re now frankly and openly stating that according to their databases climate change is already hitting their bottom lines and they are deeply concerned abut the future impact on their business models.
But of course this discussion has nothing to do with science. You know nothing about it, and care nothing for it. What we are really talking about is your inability to handle an idea that confronts your sense of self-identity and your delusional beliefs. Don’t worry .. this isn’t an unusual affliction; most people are very change averse and quite fearful of the unknown.
You mentioned that Munich Re said climate related events were effecting their bottom line. Somehow, the fact that they have money to pay for orgies is completely OK by you.
Had it occurred to you that this increase might be due to some other factor other than an increase in climate related events? (Such as the number of people insured, and the value of their properties)
Of course, this doesn’t prove that Anthropogenic Climate Change isn’t happening nor does it prove that climate change isn’t having an effect. So far, we don’t have enough information to be able to say what effect climate change is having on the weather ATM but it is expected that, as climate change progresses, the storms will get worse so that what is presently a 1 in 100 year event becomes the norm.
The following is a representative list of the most important tornadoes in each state. The criteria for the “worst” in each state is different for each state. In some tornado-prone states, it is strictly based on deaths. In other states, it is based on deaths and injuries. In the states that have never had a tornado death, the selection is made on the basis of damage. Of course, the worst tornado in Nevada is less destructive that even the 500th worst tornado in Texas, Mississippi, or a dozen other states. To give at least some perspective on each state, rather minor events must be included for states where tornadoes are rare. We also change the criteria in 1953. Since that year, forecasting and awareness efforts have drastically reduced the size of single-tornado death tolls in most states. If only the deadliest tornadoes were listed, then few recent events would be included.
Well said Robert but you do realise you speak blasphemy.The only facts our government wish to be presented are death destruction mayhem floods etc etc. Enough lies from the dribbling idiots. The AGW clowns said the sea level would be 300mm higher then it is now, what the fuck happened, I know, a lot of bullshiters thought they could make money and the evil bastards are getting away with it.
When it comes to looking at changes in the long term, what matters is whether or not the number and or intensity of tornadoes has increased over time, while controlling for increased population and improvements in weather measurements. As all death tolls are related to is population density and size.
side show bob, Its all a conspiracy.
“In the paranoid mind, the Illuminati succeeded in their goals, and have now infiltrated every government and every aspect of society. They are responsible for every evil and every unjust act that ever occurs anywhere; the fact that absolutely no evidence of their existence can be found only serves to make them stronger and more frightening. They are the demon in the closet, and will probably never disappear from the paranoid fantasy world of right-wing conspiracy theorists. ”
–New England Skeptical Society
Yes indeed. If you look at the images on this page and contrast 2002 with now you will see our oceans have not been continually warming as the hockey stick predictions would like us to believe.
“This La Niña has strengthened for the past seven months, and is one of the most intense events of the past half century ,” said Climatologist Bill Patzert of NASA’s Jet Propulsion Laboratory, Pasadena, Calif. “It is already impacting weather and climate around the planet.”
The previous intense La Nina was probably the last time Tornadoes were this severe.
It’s really simple you moron, short term variances aren’t important, what is are the long term trends, it’s a very basic concept when dealing with highly variable time series, that’s been mentioned time and time again. And please note, Arctic and Antarctic ocean temps are still increasing, as are air temperature, and I’d also bet that a stats analysis of La Nina minimum temps from coral proxies and temp records would show a statistically significant upswing over the last 100 years.
On the latter, yes (and I’m damned if I can remember where I saw it). But it is still isn’t significant statistically because coral isn’t that good a proxy. It is too dependent on local currents. It will get better as they pick up more widely spread samples.
Yeah, but with a large enough sample you’d be able to pick up a long term signal, especially if you can remove statistical noise caused by local conditions by looking for any significant short term signals.
I think.
Though I’d guess isolated reefs with few terrestrial inputs would probably be the best sites.
Eh, too tired to trawl through the non-paywalled literature though.
🙂 Problem is that ocean currents are really ‘noisy’ as well. They respond quite rapidly to temp imbalances and prevailing winds. They’d need to run the study across quite a few widely separated locations with some longer-term data in the pacific. From whatever I read it sounded like they were short of long-term data from enough locations to get an idea of exactly how extreme the la nina and el nino and other events have been during a significant part of the Holocene.
So they’re mostly comparing with events inside of the historical record. Which is good, but doesn’t really tell you how much variation you’d expect to happen naturally over the longer term. They only really realized that these types of periodic events happened after the sensors got dropped in the IGY and started deliberately targeting for them in the late 70’s. So the historical data isn’t particularly complete.
I gather that the same problem is in effect with tornado’s. The data for those even happening was not even systematically recorded until the middle of last century.
burt: What do you think weather is? It is an energy balancer. If there is more energy in the climate system, the general effect is that events will get more extreme – in both directions.
Steady state progression ideas about weather and climate are the staple of scientific morons (like Act MP’s). You know the ones that expect that global warming will raise temps evenly world wide. Or the ones who think that sea levels are the same all over the world. Or the ones who seem to think that discussing past Atlantic climate shifts happened on this side of the world at the same time. In other words the lazy suckers who are more willing to hunt for simplistic avoidance excuses rather than learn some earth sciences.
I hope you are right, I really hope you are right, I really really hope you are right. Because if you are wrong you and the rest of the denial population have just stuffed our planet.
“And who will help me stop the pollution?” cried the Little Red Hen.
“Not I,” said Jimmie.
“Not I,”said Rodney.
“Not I,” said Higherstandard.
“Then damn you all! I can’t do it all unless every one helps,” wept the Little Red Hen in despair as the sea level crept up and up and……
Me, I use both – except my leafblower is permanently set up as a vacuum/mulcher. And I rake all the leaves up because regardless of the tool I use I have to cover the same area, and the rake is shitloads lighter (and quieter) than the leaf mulcher. And afterwards I get lovely mulch for the garden.
the really funny thing about leafblowers is they dont actually achieve anything – after making a huge racket all one has done is rearrange the bloody leaves. Something the wind is capable of doing all on its own…..and usually does minutes after the blower finishes 😀
Also, numerous people have told me I’m a huge prick 🙂
(In fact it is more like 60 years ago that US deaths from tornadoes had surpassed the tragic annual toll of more than 500 lives lost.)
The implication of the above headline is:
– It is a natural event
– It has happened before in past decades
– It will happen again in future decades
– It can’t be helped
– it is not a new phenomenon,
But like a lot of dodgy statistics it is not comparing like with like.
50 years ago weather prediction and forecasting was still an infant science. In those times it was not unusual for people to innocently step outside their door, and in the vernacular of the time, “be whipped away to their deaths suddenly and completely, without warning.”
Weather satellites, computer modelling, etc. all linked to much more powerful communication networks of all types, are just some of the advanced systems that have benefited weather forecasting and public dissemination of severe weather warnings.
Because of the lack of warning, which is afforded to us today, 50 years ago even small tornadoes and other “weather bombs” were much more deadly, catching most people and communities completely by surprise and off guard.
Corey Mead a 17 year veteran of the US National Weather Service says forecasting has improved significantly.
“We can actually anticipate the potential for those types of storms several days out,” Mead says. “But the exact locations and timing of more significant tornado threats – sometimes we don’t know up until just a few hours leading up to the events.”
However even much shorter pre-warning times can still make a big difference. Studies have shown that warnings of just 6 to 15 minutes reduces the expected fatalities by more than 40 percent.
The residents of Joplin, the hardest hit community, were given a 24-minute warning. No doubt even this short warning saved many lives.
City College of New York’s professor Stan Gedzelman, speaking to CBS of these latest tornadoes:
The warning system was absolutely as good as it could be.
It’s really remarkable the accuracy of the forecasts……
It’s just that the level of destruction is beyond belief.
It’s rare for tornadoes of this force to form at all. It’s rarer still for them to find population centers like Tuscaloosa and now Joplin.
Professor Stan Gedzelman
Despite having this proven life saving weather forecasting technology, tornado deaths have more than doubled in the U.S. over the recent past decades. In fact, this year is already one of the worst
ever recorded for the US when it comes to tornadoes. Last month set a new record with 875 tornadoes, when the average number for April during the past decade is 161.
If the current forecasting technology didn’t exist, the annual death toll from tornados would likely be several magnitudes greater than anything in the historical record so far.
The obvious question therefore, must be;
– Are severe weather events like this latest swarm of deadly tornadoes, a consequence of Global warming?
A strong ethos of self censorship seems to have prevented US news outlets from even raising the query, of whether there could be such a link.
It seems that officially this is the link that can never be made, the phenomenon that can never be named.
Washington Post commentator Bill McKibben mocks the conspiracy of silence that descends on US media outlets reporting extreme weather events, yet refuse to mention climate change.
Thanks for that link Jenny.. Bill McK expresses exactly how I’ve been feeling for some time now… very eloquently and concisely.
His last para is the killer:
It’s very important to stay calm. If you got upset about any of this, you might forget how important it is not to disrupt the record profits of our fossil fuel companies. If worst ever did come to worst, it’s reassuring to remember what the U.S. Chamber of Commerce told the Environmental Protection Agency in a recent filing: that there’s no need to worry because “populations can acclimatize to warmer climates via a range of behavioral, physiological, and technological adaptations.” I’m pretty sure that’s what residents are telling themselves in Joplin today.
Which is an exact parallel to the lies told by TEPCO in the last few months. It now comes out that they knew within a day that Fukushima #1 had been damaged by the earthquake (not just the tsunami) and that cores #1 and #3 had undergone full catastrophic meltdowns. For almost two whole months they have flat out lied about the situation… to prevent us ordinary people from ‘getting upset about it’.
It turns out that most of the several hundred BWR reactors operating in the world probably do not withstand the design accelerations that were claimed for them. All of them should probably have their operating licenses revoked. But as with the fossil fuel companies, their profits will be untouchable until some very unpleasant truths are finally faced square on. The truth is well-known, but humanity is squirming with a bad conscience, wriggling about and looking to blame anyone, anything… short of taking responsibility for their own actions.
The truly bizarre thing is that the right-wingers, the conservatives and authoritarians, whose constant refrain is ‘personal responsibility’…. who are in utter, obdurate denial of what they are doing.
it doesnt matter anyway RedLogix, because the imaginary magical sky jeebus will lift them all bodily into heaven soon anyway, so the radiation wont get them – and as a bonus, they’ll leave their radioactive clothes behind. win-win!
You guys know that the amount of greenhouse gases we are pumping into the atmosphere daily is not declining in the foreseeable future right? Those emissions are not going to fall below 2010 levels in 2015 or 2020 or in 2035* (when the world population hits 8B, every one of them wanting an advanced high energy consuming western lifestyle).
That means the outcome for the rest of this century is pretty much set. Learn to swim.
*An absolute crash in oil availability might cause this to change though
Apparently, a group of very intelligent Nobel Prize winning are planing to stop CO2 emissions increasing in precisely FOUR years time, thanks to something known as the “Stockholm Memorandum”
Please don’t be a fuckwit. I like playing with fuckwits a little too much. It is always so interesting finding out how soon that listening to fluke to increase my aggro factor + coffee + my inherent nastiness can take until I make their heads explode from blood pressure rises. Thirty years on the nets helps as well. Of course that seldom happens, so i just ‘denigrate’ them for a decade as a experimental procedure to see if they can learn.
Others tend to think this makes me anti-social. Personally I view it as following the Heinlen principle – it helps the species to dispose of the idiots. But it is addictive.
If you are going to make an argument, then don’t do a stupid one. It irritates me. You really don’t want to know me when I get irritated on the nets. Oh and please be aware, that I would not provide you with the quick mercy of my moderator role. This is not the polite forum of hot-topic so the other moderators would not have cause to spoil my fun.
Argue without the stupidity please. Save me from my nastier natures…
John D,
I cant say why The Standard mods dont delete your comments. you could DIY by not making them…..
wrt read the fucking article – nowhere does it say those 4 scientists are planing to stop CO2 emissions increasing in precisely FOUR years time, thanks to something known as the “Stockholm Memorandum”
this would have been fairly obvious had you:
a) bothered to read the article, and
b) had even a moderate level of comprehension
there are not very many reasons for your lack of understanding:
– didnt read it
– didnt comprehend it
– outright lying
or any combination of the above.
If climate change could raise the sea levels enough to drown the boring wailing sneering hack proponents, I’d pump as much of whatever is reckoned would do it into the atmosphere to be rid of them all. Sadly, no such easy remedy will ever be available.
Exactly Mr Smith. These guys really are so very predictable. What they write has nothing to do with the science, or even the consequences of it… it’s actually all about their emotional response to it.
CO2 393ppm, 43ppm above the calculated safe threshold of 350ppm (which may well be too high to prevent positive feedbacks) and rising ar around 2ppm per annum.
Charlie Parker typifies the rantings of the ignorant, selfish and greedy (who seem to dominate in western societies society these days). When confronted with scientifically validated evidence, they just ignore it and carry on ranting ….. rather like governments and district councils, which tend to be largely composed of ideologues and denialists.
From the Independent ….
Weather disasters in the poorest nations ‘have trebled since 1980s’
By Steve Connor, Science Editor
Monday, 23 May 2011
The number of weather-related disasters reported each year in the world’s poorest countries has more than trebled since the 1980s and the increase cannot be explained by better reporting or an increase in population, a study by Oxfam has found.
An analysis of the natural disasters reported to international relief agencies since 1980 has revealed that while the number of disasters relating to geophysical events – such as earthquakes and volcano eruptions – remained fairly constant, disasters caused by flooding and storms significantly increased. Oxfam looked at disasters in more than 140 countries and found a clear increase over time, rising from 133 disasters a year in 1980 to more than 350 a year in recent years.
Is that the best you can do? Seems a reasonable question to me. After all, it is a favorite for the warmistas. Publish a peer-reviewed paper and show us your results.
Reports from NGOs, also know as “grey literature” in IPCC speak, has issues that we know about.
I would’ve thought three monkeys were more appropriate…
Hear no evidence-based data/see no evidence-based data/don’t talk about evidence based data …
that corroborates the existence of climate change.
the naked truth is and note that ruth is more ofensive than nudity is that nothing will change until either the oil runs out or it can no longer be extracted. the owners and proprietors of oil care nothing for the earth or its people. they only want unbridled wealth NOW and to hell with the consequences.
No, its not just greed, its stupidity. The people who got rich thought it had to do with something they are doing, but in fact it was just cheap oil, cheap credit and lower standards, with the odd new advance from some expert who never received the benefit of their work. Gates did not invent the PC, and any number of back garages were filling with would be computer nerds.
Even Buffet is not much of an innovator in the sense that its time and true rules that he applies, i.e. find consistent conscientious managers who produce profit in companies that have underlying growth and buy into them when they are under valued. Which was not hard when the whole market was under so much cheap energy and easy credit, the balloon was growing.
Now the balloon isn’t only fools still think the free market is virtuous.
If we are too survive, and keep some of the technology, we need manufacturers to recycle the product when it breaks. In olden times you would take the boots back to the cobbler and he’ll fix them, until they were no longer of value, then the cobbler who use the leather from the shoe to make something else. Only when the manufacturers have a profit motive to recycle, i.e. a liability will they build products that last longer, are easy to fix and are easy to recycle.
But as I said, the idiots in Washington, London and now renamed NZ capital Wellywood, don’t want to change they think too conservatively and there lies the peril.
Totally agree about the recycling , with good regulation most things could be either built to high standards so they last (altho the germans do this for a lot of there goods already) or built so they can be up graded or repaired easily, creating thousands of job in the process.
Instead of buying a new laptop every couple of years you should be able to take it in and have it reconditioned , shit the keys haven’t changed places and the screen is just a screen, the tools I use every day have hardly changed in hundreds of years, it’s just some are made in china now (build-in obsolescence) and you just throw them away after they inevitably brake (not that I buy anything made in china if I have the choice) of-course the evil marketers would have to be stopped from brain washing and pushing shiny stuff on our gullible youth, this could be done with education but not everyone is so lucky in that respect.
sometimes thats very true. and sometimes its very untrue. I’ve met some astonishingly stupid PhDs, and one of the best engineers I ever worked with had an NZCE. that being said, I once spent 4 years trying to convince a guy that power = torque x angular speed for a rotating thingy. and never could – he still maintains that “it has tons of torque” (when hardly moving) and goes really fast (when delivering no torque) therefore it should have tons of power. In spite of every measurement that anyone has ever made on that gear. *sigh*
and of course there is the free-space energy crowd – collective IQ in the high twenties……
clever people are clever, and dumb people are dumb. Education doesnt necessarily change that, especially not “training”
“deleted”
Actually, that phrase was one I heard from a PhD friend of mine. I hardly find it offensive. It is supposed to be humorous.
Quite a touchy lot aren’t we?
[lprent: It is unlikely. RL is probably one of the mildest and balanced moderators we have. You could argue about it, but that would waste moderators time. Needless to say we don’t like that and view it as a self-martyrdom offense. See the policy. ]
[In the context of the thread the comment I deleted simply came across as a pointless insult. And then trying to defend it with the old ‘can’t you take a joke’ line is a fail as well. RL]
Mr Smith = with good regulation most things could be either built to high standards so they last or built so they can be up graded or repaired easily, creating thousands of job in the process.
Could, would, should ………….. maybe if we had started 100 years ago.
As the late Dr Peter Lloyd said “we have all the answers” http://www.youtube.com/user/oilcrash1#p/u/98/F2vflGvgC68
But as we say, no one wants to ask the questions ). No one in ‘authority’ anyway.
When the Titanic went down the band played on, what we need is a couple of comedians on stage, ops sorry we have them already – Goff and Key, not forgetting there dance partners ie the other 118 clowns in parliament.
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The price of the foreign affairs “reset” is now becoming apparent, with Defence set to get a funding boost in the Budget. Finance Minister Nicola Willis has confirmed that it will be one of the few votes, apart from Health and Education and possibly Police, which will get an increase ...
A listing of 26 news and opinion articles we found interesting and shared on social media during the past week: Sun, April 28, 2024 thru Sat, May 4, 2024. Story of the week "It’s straight out of Big Tobacco’s playbook. In fact, research by John Cook and his colleagues ...
Yesterday I received come lovely feedback following my Star Wars themed newsletter. A few people mentioned they’d enjoyed reading the personal part at the beginning.I often begin newsletters with some memories, or general thoughts, before commencing the main topic. This hopefully sets the mood and provides some context in which ...
April 30 was going to be the day we’d be calling Mum from London to wish her a happy birthday. Then it became the day we would be going to St. Paul's at Evensong to remember her. The aim of the cathedral builders was to find a way to make their ...
Rob MacCulloch writes – Can’t remember the last book by a Kiwi author you read? Think the NZ government should spend less on the arts in favor of helping the homeless? If so, as far as Newsroom is concerned, you probably deserve to be called a cultural ignoramus ...
Eric Crampton writes – Grudges are bad. Better to move on. But it can be fun to keep a couple of really trivial ones, so you’re not tempted to have other ones. For example, because of the rootkit fiasco of 2005, no Sony products in our household. ...
A new report warns an estimated third of the adult population have unmet need for health care.Photo: Lynn Grieveson / The KākāHere’s the six key things I learned about Aotaroa’s political economy this week around housing, climate and poverty:Politics - Three opinion polls confirmed support for PM Christopher Luxon ...
Today is May the fourth. Which was just a regular day when my mother took me to see the newly released Star Wars at the Odeon in Rotorua. The queue was right around the corner. Some years later this day became known as Star Wars Day, the date being a ...
Buzz from the Beehive Much more media attention is being paid to something Winston Peters said about former Australian Foreign Minister Bob Carr than to a speech he delivered to the New Zealand China Council. One word is missing from the speech: AUKUS. But AUKUS loomed large in his considerations ...
Is the economy in another long stagnation? If so, why?This is about the time that the Treasury will be locking up its economic forecasts to be published in the 2024 Budget Economic and Fiscal Update (BEFU) on budget day, 30 May. I am not privy to what they will be ...
The annual list of who's been bribing our politicians is out, and journalists will no doubt be poring over it to find the juiciest and dirtiest bribes. The government's fast-track invite list is likely to be a particular focus, and we already know of one company on the list which ...
In the weeks after the October 7 Hamas attacks on Southern Israel I wrote about the possible 2nd, 3rd and even 4th order effects of the conflict. These included new fronts being opened in the West Bank (with Hamas), Golan … Continue reading → ...
Peter Dunne writes – It is one of the oldest truisms that there is never a good time for MPs to get a pay rise. This week’s announcement of pay raises of around 2.8% backdated to last October could hardly have come at a worse time, with the ...
David Farrar writes – Newshub reports: Newshub can reveal a fresh allegation of intimidation against Green MP Julie-Anne Genter. Genter is subject to a disciplinary process for aggressively waving a book in the face of National Minister Matt Doocey in the House – but it’s not the first time ...
The Treasury has published a paper today on the global productivity slowdown and how it is playing out in New Zealand: The productivity slowdown: implications for the Treasury’s forecasts and projections. The Treasury Paper examines recent trends in productivity and the potential drivers of the slowdown. Productivity for the whole economy ...
Winston Peters’ comments about former Australian foreign minister look set to be an ongoing headache for both him and Luxon. Photo: Lynn Grieveson / The KākāTL;DR: The podcast above of the weekly ‘hoon’ webinar for subscribers features co-hosts and , along with regular guests on Gaza and ...
These puppet strings don't pull themselvesYou're thinking thoughts from someone elseHow much time do you think you have?Are you prepared for what comes next?The debating chamber can be a trying place for an opposition MP. What with the person in charge, the speaker, typically being an MP from the governing ...
The land around Lyme Regis, where Meryl Streep once stood, in a hood, on the Cobb, is falling into the sea.MerylThe land around Lyme Regis, around the Cobb that made it rich, has always been falling slowly but surely into the sea. Read more ...
Photo by Jari Hytönen on UnsplashIt’s that new day of the week (Thursday rather than Friday) when and I co-host our ‘hoon’ webinar with paying subscribers to The Kākā for an hour at 5 pm. Jump on this link on YouTube Livestream for our chat about the week’s news ...
Buzz from the Beehive Foreign Affairs Minister Winston Peters was bound to win headlines when he set out his thinking about AUKUS in his speech to the New Zealand Institute of International Affairs. The headlines became bigger when – during an interview on RNZ’s Morning Report today – he criticised ...
The Post reports on how the government is refusing to release its advice on its corrupt Muldoonist fast-track law, instead using the "soon to be publicly available" refusal ground to hide it until after select committee submissions on the bill have closed. Fast-track Minister Chris Bishop's excuse? “It's not ...
As pressure on it grows, the livestock industry’s approach to the transition to Net Zero is increasingly being compared to that of fossil fuel interests. Photo: Lynn Grieveson / Getty ImagesTL;DR: Here’s the top five news items of note in climate news for Aotearoa-NZ this week, and a discussion above ...
The New Zealand Herald reports – Stats NZ has offered a voluntary redundancy scheme to all of its workers as a way to give staff some control over their “future” amidst widespread job losses in the public sector. In an update to staff this morning, seen by the Herald, Statistics New Zealand ...
On Werewolf/Scoop, I usually do two long form political columns a week. From now on, there will be an extra column each week about music and movies. But first, some late-breaking political events:The rise in unemployment numbers for the March quarter was bigger than expected – and especially sharp ...
David Farrar writes – The Herald reports: TVNZ says it is dealing with about 50 formal complaints over its coverage of the latest 1News-Verian political poll, with some viewers – as well as the Prime Minister and a former senior Labour MP – critical of the tone of the 6pm report. ...
Muriel Newman writes – When Meridian Energy was seeking resource consents for a West Coast hydro dam proposal in 2010, local Maori “strenuously” objected, claiming their mana was inextricably linked to ‘their’ river and could be damaged. After receiving a financial payment from the company, however, the Ngai Tahu ...
The Green Party is welcoming the announcement by the Minister Responsible for RMA Reform Chris Bishop to approve most of the Wellington City Council’s District Plan recommendations. ...
David Seymour has failed to get the sweeping cuts he wanted to the free and healthy school lunch programme, Labour education spokesperson Jan Tinetti said. ...
Hon Willie Jackson has been invited by the Oxford Union to debate the motion “This House Believes British Museums are not Very British’ on May 23rd. ...
Green Party MP Hūhana Lyndon says her Public Works (Prohibition of Compulsory Acquisition of Māori Land) Amendment Bill is an opportunity to right some past wrongs around the alienation of Māori land. ...
A senior, highly respected King’s Counsel with decades of experience in our law courts, Gary Judd KC, has filed a complaint about compulsory tikanga Māori studies for law students - highlighting the utter depths of absurdity this woke cultural madness has taken our society. The tikanga regulations will compel law ...
The Government needs to be clear with the people of the Nelson Marlborough region about the changes it is considering for the Nelson Hospital rebuild, Labour health spokesperson Ayesha Verrall said. ...
Ministers must front up about which projects it will push through under its Fast Track Approvals legislation, Labour environment spokesperson Rachel Brooking said today. ...
The Government is again adding to New Zealand’s growing unemployment, this time cutting jobs at the agencies responsible for urban development and growing much needed housing stock. ...
With Minister Karen Chhour indicating in the House today that she either doesn’t know or care about the frontline cuts she’s making to Oranga Tamariki, we risk seeing more and more of our children falling through the cracks. ...
The Labour Party is saddened to learn of the death of Sir Robert Martin, a globally renowned disability advocate who led the way for disability rights both in New Zealand and internationally. ...
Labour is calling for the Government to urgently rethink its coalition commitment to restart live animal exports, Labour animal welfare spokesperson Rachel Boyack said. ...
Today’s Financial Stability Report has once again highlighted that poverty and deep inequality are political choices - and this Government is choosing to make them worse. ...
The Green Party is calling on the Government to do more for our households in most need as unemployment rises and the cost of living crisis endures. ...
Unemployment is on the rise and it’s only going to get worse under this Government, Labour finance spokesperson Barbara Edmonds said. Stats NZ figures show the unemployment rate grew to 4.3 percent in the March quarter from 4 percent in the December quarter. “This is the second rise in unemployment ...
The New Zealand Labour Party welcomes the entering into force of the European Union and New Zealand free trade agreement. This agreement opens the door for a huge increase in trade opportunities with a market of 450 million people who are high value discerning consumers of New Zealand goods and ...
The National-led Government continues its fiscal jiggery pokery with its Pharmac announcement today, Labour Health spokesperson Ayesha Verrall says. “The government has increased Pharmac funding but conceded it will only make minimal increases in access to medicine”, said Ayesha Verrall “This is far from the bold promises made to fund ...
This afternoon’s interim Waitangi Tribunal report must be taken seriously as it affects our most vulnerable children, Labour children’s spokesperson Willow-Jean Prime. ...
Te Pāti Māori are demanding the New Zealand Government support an international independent investigation into mass graves that have been uncovered at two hospitals on the Gaza strip, following weeks of assault by Israeli troops. Among the 392 bodies that have been recovered, are children and elderly civilians. Many of ...
Our two-tiered system for veterans’ support is out of step with our closest partners, and all parties in Parliament should work together to fix it, Labour veterans’ affairs spokesperson Greg O’Connor said. ...
Stripping two Ministers of their portfolios just six months into the job shows Christopher Luxon’s management style is lacking, Labour Leader Chris Hipkins said. ...
Tonight’s court decision to overturn the summons of the Children’s Minister has enabled the Crown to continue making decisions about Māori without evidence, says Te Pāti Māori spokesperson for Children, Mariameno Kapa-Kingi. “The judicial system has this evening told the nation that this government can do whatever they want when ...
It appears Nicola Willis is about to pull the rug out from under the feet of local communities still dealing with the aftermath of last year’s severe weather, and local councils relying on funding to build back from these disasters. ...
The Government is making short-sighted changes to the Resource Management Act (RMA) that will take away environmental protection in favour of short-term profits, Labour’s environment spokesperson Rachel Brooking said today. ...
Labour welcomes the release of the report into the North Island weather events and looks forward to working with the Government to ensure that New Zealand is as prepared as it can be for the next natural disaster. ...
The Labour Party has called for the New Zealand Government to recognise Palestine, as a material step towards progressing the two-State solution needed to achieve a lasting peace in the region. ...
Some of our country’s most important work, stopping the sexual exploitation of children and violent extremism could go along with staff on the frontline at ports and airports. ...
The Government’s Fast Track Approvals Bill will give projects such as new coal mines a ‘get out of jail free’ card to wreak havoc on the environment, Labour Leader Chris Hipkins said today. ...
The government's decision to reintroduce Three Strikes is a destructive and ineffective piece of law-making that will only exacerbate an inherently biased and racist criminal justice system, said Te Pāti Māori Justice Spokesperson, Tākuta Ferris, today. During the time Three Strikes was in place in Aotearoa, Māori and Pasifika received ...
Cuts to frontline hospital staff are not only a broken election promise, it shows the reckless tax cuts have well and truly hit the frontline of the health system, says Labour Health spokesperson Ayesha Verrall. ...
The Green Party has joined the call for public submissions on the fast-track legislation to be extended after the Ombudsman forced the Government to release the list of organisations invited to apply just hours before submissions close. ...
New Zealand’s good work at reducing climate emissions for three years in a row will be undone by the National government’s lack of ambition and scrapping programmes that were making a difference, Labour Party climate spokesperson Megan Woods said today. ...
Your Excellency Ambassador Meredith, Members of the Diplomatic Corps and Ambassadors from European Union Member States, Ministerial colleagues, Members of Parliament, and other distinguished guests, Thank you everyone for joining us. Ladies and gentlemen - In diplomacy, we often speak of ‘close’ and ‘long-standing’ relations. ...
The Therapeutic Products Act (TPA) will be repealed this year so that a better regime can be put in place to provide New Zealanders safe and timely access to medicines, medical devices and health products, Associate Health Minister Casey Costello announced today. “The medicines and products we are talking about ...
The Minister Responsible for RMA Reform, Chris Bishop, today released his decision on twenty recommendations referred to him by the Wellington City Council relating to its Intensification Planning Instrument, after the Council rejected those recommendations of the Independent Hearings Panel and made alternative recommendations. “Wellington notified its District Plan on ...
Rape Awareness Week (6-10 May) is an important opportunity to acknowledge the continued effort required by government and communities to ensure that all New Zealanders can live free from violence, say Ministers Karen Chhour and Louise Upston. “With 1 in 3 women and 1 in 8 men experiencing sexual violence ...
Associate Education Minister David Seymour has today announced that the Government will be delivering a more efficient Healthy School Lunches Programme, saving taxpayers approximately $107 million a year compared to how Labour funded it, by embracing innovation and commercial expertise. “We are delivering on our commitment to treat taxpayers’ money ...
New research on the impacts of extreme weather on coastal marine habitats in Tairāwhiti and Hawke’s Bay will help fishery managers plan for and respond to any future events, Oceans and Fisheries Minister Shane Jones says. A report released today on research by Niwa on behalf of Fisheries New Zealand ...
Deputy Prime Minister and Foreign Minister Winston Peters will lead a broad political delegation on a five-stop Pacific tour next week to strengthen New Zealand’s engagement with the region. The delegation will visit Solomon Islands, Papua New Guinea, Vanuatu, New Caledonia, and Tuvalu. “New Zealand has deep and ...
There has been a material decline in gas production according to figures released today by the Gas Industry Co. Figures released by the Gas Industry Company show that there was a 12.5 per cent reduction in gas production during 2023, and a 27.8 per cent reduction in gas production in the ...
Defence Minister Judith Collins tonight announced the recipients of the Minister of Defence Awards of Excellence for Industry, saying they all contribute to New Zealanders’ security and wellbeing. “Congratulations to this year’s recipients, whose innovative products and services play a critical role in the delivery of New Zealand’s defence capabilities, ...
Welcome to you all - it is a pleasure to be here this evening.I would like to start by thanking Greg Lowe, Chair of the New Zealand Defence Industry Advisory Council, for co-hosting this reception with me. This evening is about recognising businesses from across New Zealand and overseas who in ...
It is a pleasure to be speaking to you as the Minister for Digitising Government. I would like to thank Akolade for the invitation to address this Summit, and to acknowledge the great effort you are making to grow New Zealand’s digital future. Today, we stand at the cusp of ...
New Zealand is urging both Israel and Hamas to agree to an immediate ceasefire to avoid the further humanitarian catastrophe that military action in Rafah would unleash, Foreign Minister Winston Peters says. “The immense suffering in Gaza cannot be allowed to worsen further. Both sides have a responsibility to ...
A new online data dashboard released today as part of the Government’s school attendance action plan makes more timely daily attendance data available to the public and parents, says Associate Education Minister David Seymour. The interactive dashboard will be updated once a week to show a national average of how ...
Foreign Minister Winston Peters has announced Rosemary Banks will be New Zealand’s next Ambassador to the United States of America. “Our relationship with the United States is crucial for New Zealand in strategic, security and economic terms,” Mr Peters says. “New Zealand and the United States have a ...
The Government is considering creating a new tier of minerals permitting that will make it easier for hobby miners to prospect for gold. “New Zealand was built on gold, it’s in our DNA. Our gold deposits, particularly in regions such as Otago and the West Coast have always attracted fortune-hunters. ...
Minister for Trade Todd McClay today announced that New Zealand and the United Arab Emirates (UAE) will commence negotiations on a free trade agreement (FTA). Minister McClay met with his counterpart UAE Trade Minister Dr Thani bin Ahmed Al Zeyoudi in Dubai, where they announced the launch of negotiations on a ...
New Zealand Sign Language Week is an excellent opportunity for all Kiwis to give the language a go, Disabilities Issues Minister Louise Upston says. This week (May 6 to 12) is New Zealand Sign Language (NZSL) Week. The theme is “an Aotearoa where anyone can sign anywhere” and aims to ...
Six tertiary students have been selected to work on NASA projects in the US through a New Zealand Space Scholarship, Space Minister Judith Collins announced today. “This is a fantastic opportunity for these talented students. They will undertake internships at NASA’s Ames Research Center or its Jet Propulsion Laboratory (JPL), where ...
New Zealanders will be safer because of a $1.9 billion investment in more frontline Corrections officers, more support for offenders to turn away from crime, and more prison capacity, Corrections Minister Mark Mitchell says. “Our Government said we would crack down on crime. We promised to restore law and order, ...
The OECD’s latest report on New Zealand reinforces the importance of bringing Government spending under control, Finance Minister Nicola Willis says. The OECD conducts country surveys every two years to review its members’ economic policies. The 2024 New Zealand survey was presented in Wellington today by OECD Chief Economist Clare Lombardelli. ...
The Government has delivered on its election promise to provide a financially sustainable model for Auckland under its Local Water Done Well plan. The plan, which has been unanimously endorsed by Auckland Council’s Governing Body, will see Aucklanders avoid the previously projected 25.8 per cent water rates increases while retaining ...
Foreign Minister Winston Peters discussed the need for an immediate ceasefire in Gaza, and enhanced cooperation in the Pacific with German Foreign Minister Annalena Baerbock during her first official visit to New Zealand today. "New Zealand and Germany enjoy shared interests and values, including the rule of law, democracy, respect for the international system ...
The Minister Responsible for RMA Reform, Chris Bishop today released his decision on four recommendations referred to him by the Western Bay of Plenty District Council, opening the door to housing growth in the area. The Council’s Plan Change 92 allows more homes to be built in existing and new ...
Thank you, John McKinnon and the New Zealand China Council for the invitation to speak to you today. Thank you too, all members of the China Council. Your effort has played an essential role in helping to build, shape, and grow a balanced and resilient relationship between our two ...
The Government is modernising insurance law to better protect Kiwis and provide security in the event of a disaster, Commerce and Consumer Affairs Minister Andrew Bayly announced today. “These reforms are long overdue. New Zealand’s insurance law is complicated and dated, some of which is more than 100 years old. ...
The coalition Government is refreshing its approach to supporting pay equity claims as time-limited funding for the Pay Equity Taskforce comes to an end, Public Service Minister Nicola Willis says. “Three years ago, the then-government introduced changes to the Equal Pay Act to support pay equity bargaining. The changes were ...
Structured literacy will change the way New Zealand children learn to read - improving achievement and setting students up for success, Education Minister Erica Stanford says. “Being able to read and write is a fundamental life skill that too many young people are missing out on. Recent data shows that ...
Trade Minister Todd McClay says Canada’s refusal to comply in full with a CPTPP trade dispute ruling in our favour over dairy trade is cynical and New Zealand has no intention of backing down. Mr McClay said he has asked for urgent legal advice in respect of our ‘next move’ ...
The rights of our children and young people will be enhanced by changes the coalition Government will make to strengthen oversight of the Oranga Tamariki system, including restoring a single Children’s Commissioner. “The Government is committed to delivering better public services that care for our most at-risk young people and ...
The Government is making it easier for minor changes to be made to a building consent so building a home is easier and more affordable, Building and Construction Minister Chris Penk says. “The coalition Government is focused on making it easier and cheaper to build homes so we can ...
New Zealand lost a true legend when internationally renowned disability advocate Sir Robert Martin (KNZM) passed away at his home in Whanganui last night, Disabilities Issues Minister Louise Upston says. “Our Government’s thoughts are with his wife Lynda, family and community, those he has worked with, the disability community in ...
Good evening – Before discussing the challenges and opportunities facing New Zealand’s foreign policy, we’d like to first acknowledge the New Zealand Institute of International Affairs. You have contributed to debates about New Zealand foreign policy over a long period of time, and we thank you for hosting us. ...
From today, passengers travelling internationally from Auckland Airport will be able to keep laptops and liquids in their carry-on bags for security screening thanks to new technology, Transport Minister Simeon Brown says. “Creating a more efficient and seamless travel experience is important for holidaymakers and businesses, enabling faster movement through ...
People with an interest in the health of Northland’s marine ecosystems are invited to a public meeting to discuss how to deal with kina barrens, Oceans and Fisheries Minister Shane Jones says. Mr Jones will lead the discussion, which will take place on Friday, 10 May, at Awanui Hotel in ...
Kiwi exporters are $100 million better off today with the NZ EU FTA entering into force says Trade Minister Todd McClay. “This is all part of our plan to grow the economy. New Zealand's prosperity depends on international trade, making up 60 per cent of the country’s total economic activity. ...
There are heartening signs that the extractive sector is once again becoming an attractive prospect for investors and a source of economic prosperity for New Zealand, Resources Minister Shane Jones says. “The beginnings of a resurgence in extractive industries are apparent in media reports of the sector in the past ...
The return of the historic Ō-Rākau battle site to the descendants of those who fought there moved one step closer today with the first reading of Te Pire mō Ō-Rākau, Te Pae o Maumahara / The Ō-Rākau Remembrance Bill. The Bill will entrust the 9.7-hectare battle site, five kilometres west ...
Energy Minister Simeon Brown has announced 25 new high-speed EV charging hubs along key routes between major urban centres and outlined the Government’s plan to supercharge New Zealand’s EV infrastructure. The hubs will each have several chargers and be capable of charging at least four – and up to 10 ...
The coalition Government will not proceed with the previous Government’s plans to regulate residential property managers, Housing Minister Chris Bishop says. “I have written to the Chairperson of the Social Services and Community Committee to inform him that the Government does not intend to support the Residential Property Managers Bill ...
The Government has announced an independent review into the disability support system funded by the Ministry of Disabled People – Whaikaha. Disability Issues Minister Louise Upston says the review will look at what can be done to strengthen the long-term sustainability of Disability Support Services to provide disabled people and ...
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Michelle Grattan, Professorial Fellow, University of Canberra The Albanese government is talking up the crucial role of gas as a transition fuel “through to 2050 and beyond”. In a gas strategy to be released on Thursday, the government envisages the fuel’s ...
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Michelle Grattan, Professorial Fellow, University of Canberra Next week the government will again next try to get its legislation through to deal with non-citizens who won’t cooperate with efforts to deport them. The bill, which the opposition and crossbench refused to rush ...
A long-term project that will set out an alternative vision for Aotearoa that looks beyond the narrow confines of the policy straight jacket adopted by successive governments. ...
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Bree Hurst, Associate Professor, Faculty of Business and Law, QUT, Queensland University of Technology TK Kurikawa/Shutterstock A much-awaited report into Coles and Woolworths has found what many customers have long believed – Australia’s big supermarkets engage in price gouging. What started ...
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Daniel Ghezelbash, Associate Professor and Deputy Director, Kaldor Centre for International Refugee Law, UNSW Law & Justice, UNSW Sydney The Albanese government wanted to avoid an inquiry into its migration amendment bill. The report, handed down yesterday by a senate committee that ...
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Joo-Cheong Tham, Professor, Melbourne Law School, The University of Melbourne Lobbying is at the heart of government. Who has access to and influence over key government officials shapes the decisions governments make – and how they make them. The ability to influence ...
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Myfany Turpin, Associate Professor, Ethnomusicology, Linguistics and Ethnobiology, University of Sydney The act representing Australia at this year’s Eurovision contest has sadly not qualified for the grand final. Yet for Zaachariaha Fielding and Michael Ross, the duo that makes up Electric Fields, ...
In announcing changes to the school lunches programme, David Seymour said kids would no longer be served ‘woke’ foods. To clear up any confusion, The Spinoff has compiled a guide to the wokeness levels of some common food items. Apple = NOT WOKE Avocado = WOKE Avocado, smashed = EVEN ...
The Minister Responsible for GCSB and the Inspector-General of Intelligence and Security have been notified of this review, and have been provided a finalised Terms of Reference. ...
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Minglu Chen, Senior Lecturer, Government and International Relations, University of Sydney Robert Way/Shutterstock As the past few years have illustrated so clearly, the Australia-China relationship is complicated. As such, it is crucial for Australians to develop a more nuanced understanding of ...
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Mariana Campbell, Research Lecturer, Conservation, Charles Darwin University Marilyn Connell Australian freshwater turtles are facing an alarming trend. Almost half of these species are listed as vulnerable, endangered or critically endangered. The Mary River turtle (Elusor macrurus) is one of Australia’s ...
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Debbie Passey, Digital Health Research Fellow, The University of Melbourne Algorithms have become integral to our lives. From social media apps to Netflix, algorithms learn your preferences and prioritise the content you are shown. Google Maps and artificial intelligence are nothing without ...
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Josephine Barbaro, Associate Professor, Principal Research Fellow, Psychologist, La Trobe University Unsplash We’ve come a long way in terms of understanding that everyone thinks, interacts and experiences the world differently. In the past, autistic people, people with attention deficit hyperactive disorder ...
PNG Post-Courier Papua New Guinea’s deputy opposition leader James Nomane has accused the government of “reckless economic management” that has forced devaluation to manage loan repayments in foreign currency and placate the International Monetary Fund (IMF). Prime Minister James Marape “must stop lying to the people of Papua New Guinea”, ...
Welcome to The Spinoff Bookseller Confessional, in which we get to know Aotearoa’s booksellers. This week: Jane Arthur, author of Brown Bird, and former bookseller at Good Books.The book I wish I’d writtenI have been working on not comparing myself to others. On accepting that what I can ...
The final decision on the Wellington District Plan makes it official: High-density housing is legal across most of Wellington. Housing minister Chris Bishop has announced his decision on the Wellington District Plan, approving a series of amendments to radically upzone most of Wellington, allowing tens of thousands of new townhouses ...
Analysis by Dr Bryce Edwards – Democracy Project (https://democracyproject.nz)Political scientist, Dr Bryce Edwards. “Follow the money” is the classic directive to journalists trying to understand where power and influence lie in society. In terms of uncovering who influences various New Zealand political parties and governments, it therefore pays to ...
RNZ News As Israel presses ahead with strikes in Rafah and seizing the Rafah crossing from Egypt, aid agencies are sounding the alarm of a “catastrophic humanitarian situation”. Rafah was “significant” because it was the only part in Gaza that had not been terribly damaged by the conflict, United Nations ...
With funding set to be scrapped for the Hamilton-Auckland commuter train, Te Huia enthusiast Georgie Dansey argues for it to be thrown a lifeline. It’s 5.45am and the chain of my crappy old bike falls off slugging up the one hill in Hamilton. I contemplate yeeting the bike into the ...
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Anna Cooke, Honorary Fellow, School of the Environment, The University of Queensland We feel ecological grief when we lose places, species or ecosystems we value and love. These losses are a growing threat to mental health and wellbeing globally. We all see ...
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Shauna Brail, Associate Professor, Institute for Management & Innovation, University of Toronto A shift to hybrid and remote work continues to affect worker presence in Toronto’s downtown.(Shutterstock) Downtown Toronto, the core of Canada’s largest city, continues to reel from the lingering ...
Responding to an Auditor-General's report slamming failures in the administration of the 2023 General Election, Taxpayers’ Union Policy and Public Affairs Manager, James Ross, said: ...
Productivity apps now make up a big chunk of the software market. But do they work? And why do they all have AI integrations?Despite being firmly on the record as a physical planner fan, I sometimes dream of something better than my pretty diary and its scrawled, ugly, interior ...
The Taxpayers’ Union says the Beehive need to lead by example, following reports of more than $50,000 spent upgrading video conferencing equipment and furniture in the Prime Minister’s office. Taxpayers’ Union Campaign Manager, Connor Molloy, ...
An objective list of the 50 most powerful people in New Zealand, as judged by the Spinoff Editorial Board. It’s power list season, baby, and we want in on the action. Sure, there’s the rich list and the powerful “c-suite” list and the young people with power (hmmm) but here, ...
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Thalia Anthony, Professor of Law, University of Technology Sydney ShutterstockThis article contains information on deaths in custody and the names of deceased people, and describes ongoing colonial violence towards Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people. First Nations people in Australia ...
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Alex Simpson, Senior Lecturer in Criminology, Macquarie University Netflix Baby Reindeer’s phenomenal success has much to do with its writer and lead, Richard Gadd, who plays Donny in a tender semi-autobiographical account of sexual abuse, harassment and stalking. Gadd’s story has ...
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Clare Collins, Laureate Professor in Nutrition and Dietetics, University of Newcastle KarolinaGrabowska/Pexels If you didn’t have food allergies as a child, is it possible to develop them as an adult? The short answer is yes. But the reasons why are much ...
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Paul Moon, Professor of History, Auckland University of Technology Ans Westra, self-portrait, c. 1963. National Library ref AWM-0705-F They try but invariably fail – those writers who believe they are capable of encapsulating in prose or verse the essence of ...
Stewart Sowman-Lund looks at the growing concern around the world in this extract from The Bulletin. To receive The Bulletin in full each weekday, sign up here. What’s all this? When Covid-19 arrived on our shores in early 2020, some argued we were too slow, or crucially, ill-prepared for a pandemic. So ...
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Franco Montalto, Professor of Civil, Architectural and Environmental Engineering and Director, Sustainable Water Resource Engineering Laboratory, Drexel University Water runs into a storm drain in a Los Angeles alley on Aug. 19, 2023, during Tropical Storm Hilary.Citizen of the Planet/Universal Images ...
The inquest into the death of Gore toddler Lachlan Jones has turned up a new witness who says he saw two teenagers and a small child in a high vis vest in the area where the boy’s body was found the day he died. Lachie’s body was discovered face up ...
Stories from the tenancy trenches, featuring spider infestations, cupboard rats and same-sex discrimination. Lucy’s brother was living in a damp 1930s building in Mt Eden where “he had to tie the cupboard doors closed so the rats didn’t get in”. Although he shared custody of his six-year-old son, his property ...
Simeon Brown, Chris Luxon, and Wayne Brown climbed into a hole and announced a plan to solve Auckland’s water woes. This is how it’ll work. New Zealand’s pipes are munted. They’re cracked and leaking, and struggling to handle all the extra poos excreted by our rising population. It’s a big, ...
Opinion: “As time passes, knowledge of the circumstances of the August 2016 outbreak will fade and its immediate impact will be lost.” This statement is from the 2017 report of the Official Inquiry into the Havelock North campylobacteriosis outbreak. The then National-led government established the inquiry after the outbreak left ...
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Al Gore, George Monbiot and r0b ?
Well those are two huge public figures, and I’m a very minor blogger, but apart from that I would certainly be proud to be counted in their company on the issue of climate change.
Lets play some cards.
From what I read they were the worst tornadoes in 60 years – so obviously they had worse tornadoes 60 years ago before the climate change idea had been invented – proves nothing.
Same with the Mississippi floods – worst since 1927 – again a historic flood of similar magnitude decades before climate change mantra become the latest fad.
Yeah of course there have always been extreme weather events. The issue is the frequency of such events. Which is increasing.
More heat = more energy and more moisture in the atmosphere = more storms. Pretty simple really.
so obviously they had worse tornadoes 60 years ago before the climate change idea had been invented – proves nothing.
As with all things climate change you are confusing weather with climate. And in this case it’s hard to know exactly what they mean when they say ‘the worst in 60 years’. Do they mean the most frequent, the most intense, the highest damage or the worst death toll? It’s a pretty imprecise comparison being made here; besides a single weather event can never ‘prove’ anything about climate change. We know that; we’ve been saying it forever.
But in the context of the truly Biblical floods in the Missisippi and the equally dire drought in the US Southwest things start to look different.
Globally the view is equally concerning with major re-insurance companies such as Munich Re now frankly and openly stating that according to their databases climate change is already hitting their bottom lines and they are deeply concerned abut the future impact on their business models.
But of course this discussion has nothing to do with science. You know nothing about it, and care nothing for it. What we are really talking about is your inability to handle an idea that confronts your sense of self-identity and your delusional beliefs. Don’t worry .. this isn’t an unusual affliction; most people are very change averse and quite fearful of the unknown.
Jeez, we’d really hate to hurt Munich Re’s bottom line. They might not be able to organise so many orgies for their top salesmen.
http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/world-europe-13454160
Which is relevant how?
Well apart from conclusively demonstrating your utter lack of an argument….
How is this relevant?
You mentioned that Munich Re said climate related events were effecting their bottom line. Somehow, the fact that they have money to pay for orgies is completely OK by you.
Had it occurred to you that this increase might be due to some other factor other than an increase in climate related events? (Such as the number of people insured, and the value of their properties)
John D just played this card
Denialists’ Deck of Cards: Nit Pick, and Muddy the Waters
There’s no problem then Jimmie.
Denialists’ Deck of Cards: The 2 of Clubs, “No Problem”
True
Of course, this doesn’t prove that Anthropogenic Climate Change isn’t happening nor does it prove that climate change isn’t having an effect. So far, we don’t have enough information to be able to say what effect climate change is having on the weather ATM but it is expected that, as climate change progresses, the storms will get worse so that what is presently a 1 in 100 year event becomes the norm.
The following is a representative list of the most important tornadoes in each state. The criteria for the “worst” in each state is different for each state. In some tornado-prone states, it is strictly based on deaths. In other states, it is based on deaths and injuries. In the states that have never had a tornado death, the selection is made on the basis of damage. Of course, the worst tornado in Nevada is less destructive that even the 500th worst tornado in Texas, Mississippi, or a dozen other states. To give at least some perspective on each state, rather minor events must be included for states where tornadoes are rare. We also change the criteria in 1953. Since that year, forecasting and awareness efforts have drastically reduced the size of single-tornado death tolls in most states. If only the deadliest tornadoes were listed, then few recent events would be included.
http://www.tornadoproject.com/alltorns/worstts.htm
MISSOURI
MAY 9, 1927 2:35 pm 98 dead 300 injured
After causing five deaths in Arkansas, the tornado devastated Poplar Bluff; 21 died in one hotel.
SEP 29, 1927 1:00 pm 72 dead 550 injured
In downtown St. Louis, more than 200 city blocks were torn apart.
MAY 21, 1949 6:55 pm 23 dead 130 injured
This tornado passed across the northwest part of Cape Girardeau, destroying 203 homes.
MAY 20, 1957 6:15 pm 37 dead 531 injured
After causing seven deaths in Kansas, the funnel crossed into Missouri south of Kansas City.
MAY 21, 1957 3:53 pm 7 dead 75 injured
Only seven homes were left intact in Fremont, with possible F5 damage to homes.
MAY 21, 1957 4:00 pm 8 dead 50 injured
A tornado killed people in and near Desloge and Cantwell.
Well said Robert but you do realise you speak blasphemy.The only facts our government wish to be presented are death destruction mayhem floods etc etc. Enough lies from the dribbling idiots. The AGW clowns said the sea level would be 300mm higher then it is now, what the fuck happened, I know, a lot of bullshiters thought they could make money and the evil bastards are getting away with it.
/facepalm
When it comes to looking at changes in the long term, what matters is whether or not the number and or intensity of tornadoes has increased over time, while controlling for increased population and improvements in weather measurements. As all death tolls are related to is population density and size.
Also, source for the “300mm” claim, because the recent and current models only consider sea rises of that much by 2100: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Current_sea_level_rise
side show bob, Its all a conspiracy.
“In the paranoid mind, the Illuminati succeeded in their goals, and have now infiltrated every government and every aspect of society. They are responsible for every evil and every unjust act that ever occurs anywhere; the fact that absolutely no evidence of their existence can be found only serves to make them stronger and more frightening. They are the demon in the closet, and will probably never disappear from the paranoid fantasy world of right-wing conspiracy theorists. ”
–New England Skeptical Society
Yes indeed. If you look at the images on this page and contrast 2002 with now you will see our oceans have not been continually warming as the hockey stick predictions would like us to believe.
Nasa: JPL – Tracing El Nino
Note from the report in Dec 2010;
The previous intense La Nina was probably the last time Tornadoes were this severe.
/yawn
It’s really simple you moron, short term variances aren’t important, what is are the long term trends, it’s a very basic concept when dealing with highly variable time series, that’s been mentioned time and time again. And please note, Arctic and Antarctic ocean temps are still increasing, as are air temperature, and I’d also bet that a stats analysis of La Nina minimum temps from coral proxies and temp records would show a statistically significant upswing over the last 100 years.
On the latter, yes (and I’m damned if I can remember where I saw it). But it is still isn’t significant statistically because coral isn’t that good a proxy. It is too dependent on local currents. It will get better as they pick up more widely spread samples.
Yeah, but with a large enough sample you’d be able to pick up a long term signal, especially if you can remove statistical noise caused by local conditions by looking for any significant short term signals.
I think.
Though I’d guess isolated reefs with few terrestrial inputs would probably be the best sites.
Eh, too tired to trawl through the non-paywalled literature though.
🙂 Problem is that ocean currents are really ‘noisy’ as well. They respond quite rapidly to temp imbalances and prevailing winds. They’d need to run the study across quite a few widely separated locations with some longer-term data in the pacific. From whatever I read it sounded like they were short of long-term data from enough locations to get an idea of exactly how extreme the la nina and el nino and other events have been during a significant part of the Holocene.
So they’re mostly comparing with events inside of the historical record. Which is good, but doesn’t really tell you how much variation you’d expect to happen naturally over the longer term. They only really realized that these types of periodic events happened after the sensors got dropped in the IGY and started deliberately targeting for them in the late 70’s. So the historical data isn’t particularly complete.
I gather that the same problem is in effect with tornado’s. The data for those even happening was not even systematically recorded until the middle of last century.
burt: What do you think weather is? It is an energy balancer. If there is more energy in the climate system, the general effect is that events will get more extreme – in both directions.
Steady state progression ideas about weather and climate are the staple of scientific morons (like Act MP’s). You know the ones that expect that global warming will raise temps evenly world wide. Or the ones who think that sea levels are the same all over the world. Or the ones who seem to think that discussing past Atlantic climate shifts happened on this side of the world at the same time. In other words the lazy suckers who are more willing to hunt for simplistic avoidance excuses rather than learn some earth sciences.
Gee Jimmie
I hope you are right, I really hope you are right, I really really hope you are right. Because if you are wrong you and the rest of the denial population have just stuffed our planet.
If you are wrong will you apologise?
“And who will help me stop the pollution?” cried the Little Red Hen.
“Not I,” said Jimmie.
“Not I,”said Rodney.
“Not I,” said Higherstandard.
“Then damn you all! I can’t do it all unless every one helps,” wept the Little Red Hen in despair as the sea level crept up and up and……
“Spreading doubt and confusion, knowing that doing so will appeal to human’s natural tendency not to take action without certainty.”
This quote to me says a lot about how a denalist works, most of these people are just along for the ride, but some are doing it for the money though.
I would like to point you all to a wonderful post from Doug Mackie over on Hot topic (link below) then grab a hammer and start pounding the bad moles.
http://hot-topic.co.nz/how-to-believe-in-impossible-things/
hey why use a rake when you can buy a leafblower?
and make abig noise to compensate for having a small dick too.
LOL
Me, I use both – except my leafblower is permanently set up as a vacuum/mulcher. And I rake all the leaves up because regardless of the tool I use I have to cover the same area, and the rake is shitloads lighter (and quieter) than the leaf mulcher. And afterwards I get lovely mulch for the garden.
the really funny thing about leafblowers is they dont actually achieve anything – after making a huge racket all one has done is rearrange the bloody leaves. Something the wind is capable of doing all on its own…..and usually does minutes after the blower finishes 😀
Also, numerous people have told me I’m a huge prick 🙂
“Deadliest tornadoes in 50 years”
(In fact it is more like 60 years ago that US deaths from tornadoes had surpassed the tragic annual toll of more than 500 lives lost.)
The implication of the above headline is:
– It is a natural event
– It has happened before in past decades
– It will happen again in future decades
– It can’t be helped
– it is not a new phenomenon,
But like a lot of dodgy statistics it is not comparing like with like.
50 years ago weather prediction and forecasting was still an infant science. In those times it was not unusual for people to innocently step outside their door, and in the vernacular of the time, “be whipped away to their deaths suddenly and completely, without warning.”
Weather satellites, computer modelling, etc. all linked to much more powerful communication networks of all types, are just some of the advanced systems that have benefited weather forecasting and public dissemination of severe weather warnings.
Because of the lack of warning, which is afforded to us today, 50 years ago even small tornadoes and other “weather bombs” were much more deadly, catching most people and communities completely by surprise and off guard.
Corey Mead a 17 year veteran of the US National Weather Service says forecasting has improved significantly.
“We can actually anticipate the potential for those types of storms several days out,” Mead says. “But the exact locations and timing of more significant tornado threats – sometimes we don’t know up until just a few hours leading up to the events.”
However even much shorter pre-warning times can still make a big difference. Studies have shown that warnings of just 6 to 15 minutes reduces the expected fatalities by more than 40 percent.
The residents of Joplin, the hardest hit community, were given a 24-minute warning. No doubt even this short warning saved many lives.
City College of New York’s professor Stan Gedzelman, speaking to CBS of these latest tornadoes:
Despite having this proven life saving weather forecasting technology, tornado deaths have more than doubled in the U.S. over the recent past decades. In fact, this year is already one of the worst
ever recorded for the US when it comes to tornadoes. Last month set a new record with 875 tornadoes, when the average number for April during the past decade is 161.
If the current forecasting technology didn’t exist, the annual death toll from tornados would likely be several magnitudes greater than anything in the historical record so far.
The obvious question therefore, must be;
– Are severe weather events like this latest swarm of deadly tornadoes, a consequence of Global warming?
A strong ethos of self censorship seems to have prevented US news outlets from even raising the query, of whether there could be such a link.
It seems that officially this is the link that can never be made, the phenomenon that can never be named.
Washington Post commentator Bill McKibben mocks the conspiracy of silence that descends on US media outlets reporting extreme weather events, yet refuse to mention climate change.
“A link between climate change and Joplin tornadoes? Never!”
Jenny,
Thanks for that link Jenny.. Bill McK expresses exactly how I’ve been feeling for some time now… very eloquently and concisely.
His last para is the killer:
Which is an exact parallel to the lies told by TEPCO in the last few months. It now comes out that they knew within a day that Fukushima #1 had been damaged by the earthquake (not just the tsunami) and that cores #1 and #3 had undergone full catastrophic meltdowns. For almost two whole months they have flat out lied about the situation… to prevent us ordinary people from ‘getting upset about it’.
It turns out that most of the several hundred BWR reactors operating in the world probably do not withstand the design accelerations that were claimed for them. All of them should probably have their operating licenses revoked. But as with the fossil fuel companies, their profits will be untouchable until some very unpleasant truths are finally faced square on. The truth is well-known, but humanity is squirming with a bad conscience, wriggling about and looking to blame anyone, anything… short of taking responsibility for their own actions.
The truly bizarre thing is that the right-wingers, the conservatives and authoritarians, whose constant refrain is ‘personal responsibility’…. who are in utter, obdurate denial of what they are doing.
it doesnt matter anyway RedLogix, because the imaginary magical sky jeebus will lift them all bodily into heaven soon anyway, so the radiation wont get them – and as a bonus, they’ll leave their radioactive clothes behind. win-win!
You guys know that the amount of greenhouse gases we are pumping into the atmosphere daily is not declining in the foreseeable future right? Those emissions are not going to fall below 2010 levels in 2015 or 2020 or in 2035* (when the world population hits 8B, every one of them wanting an advanced high energy consuming western lifestyle).
That means the outcome for the rest of this century is pretty much set. Learn to swim.
*An absolute crash in oil availability might cause this to change though
Apparently, a group of very intelligent Nobel Prize winning are planing to stop CO2 emissions increasing in precisely FOUR years time, thanks to something known as the “Stockholm Memorandum”
http://www.realclimate.org/index.php/archives/2011/05/nobel-laureates-speak-out-2/
This, we can all be agreed, is really great news. I have no idea how they will implement this, but we should trust The Scientists.
What could possibly harm us?
Well I can, and take this as a warning…
Please don’t be a fuckwit. I like playing with fuckwits a little too much. It is always so interesting finding out how soon that listening to fluke to increase my aggro factor + coffee + my inherent nastiness can take until I make their heads explode from blood pressure rises. Thirty years on the nets helps as well. Of course that seldom happens, so i just ‘denigrate’ them for a decade as a experimental procedure to see if they can learn.
Others tend to think this makes me anti-social. Personally I view it as following the Heinlen principle – it helps the species to dispose of the idiots. But it is addictive.
If you are going to make an argument, then don’t do a stupid one. It irritates me. You really don’t want to know me when I get irritated on the nets. Oh and please be aware, that I would not provide you with the quick mercy of my moderator role. This is not the polite forum of hot-topic so the other moderators would not have cause to spoil my fun.
Argue without the stupidity please. Save me from my nastier natures…
summary: read the fucking article dipshit
I have read the fucking article (btw, why don’t these comments get deleted)
It’s not a stiupid comment. CO2 emissions have been increasing at 2ppm since whenever. Does anyone seriously think we can stop this in 4 years?
[lprent: Insufficient information to tell you why. You’ll need to explain what you’re talking about on your first paragraph. ]
John D,
I cant say why The Standard mods dont delete your comments. you could DIY by not making them…..
wrt read the fucking article – nowhere does it say those 4 scientists are planing to stop CO2 emissions increasing in precisely FOUR years time, thanks to something known as the “Stockholm Memorandum”
this would have been fairly obvious had you:
a) bothered to read the article, and
b) had even a moderate level of comprehension
there are not very many reasons for your lack of understanding:
– didnt read it
– didnt comprehend it
– outright lying
or any combination of the above.
would you like to play again?
Yep. But I’m unsure that he has the required ability to understand the article. I that a bit of extra saddle burr would assist the motivation.
If climate change could raise the sea levels enough to drown the boring wailing sneering hack proponents, I’d pump as much of whatever is reckoned would do it into the atmosphere to be rid of them all. Sadly, no such easy remedy will ever be available.
Denialists’ Deck of Cards: The Joker, “Temper Tantrum”
Exactly Mr Smith. These guys really are so very predictable. What they write has nothing to do with the science, or even the consequences of it… it’s actually all about their emotional response to it.
CO2 393ppm, 43ppm above the calculated safe threshold of 350ppm (which may well be too high to prevent positive feedbacks) and rising ar around 2ppm per annum.
Charlie Parker typifies the rantings of the ignorant, selfish and greedy (who seem to dominate in western societies society these days). When confronted with scientifically validated evidence, they just ignore it and carry on ranting ….. rather like governments and district councils, which tend to be largely composed of ideologues and denialists.
From the Independent ….
Weather disasters in the poorest nations ‘have trebled since 1980s’
By Steve Connor, Science Editor
Monday, 23 May 2011
The number of weather-related disasters reported each year in the world’s poorest countries has more than trebled since the 1980s and the increase cannot be explained by better reporting or an increase in population, a study by Oxfam has found.
An analysis of the natural disasters reported to international relief agencies since 1980 has revealed that while the number of disasters relating to geophysical events – such as earthquakes and volcano eruptions – remained fairly constant, disasters caused by flooding and storms significantly increased. Oxfam looked at disasters in more than 140 countries and found a clear increase over time, rising from 133 disasters a year in 1980 to more than 350 a year in recent years.
You have some peer-reviewed evidence, rather than propaganda from warmist NGOs such as Oxfam?
John D just played this card.
Denialists’ Deck of Cards: The Jack of Clubs, “You’re A Ninny”
Is that the best you can do? Seems a reasonable question to me. After all, it is a favorite for the warmistas. Publish a peer-reviewed paper and show us your results.
Reports from NGOs, also know as “grey literature” in IPCC speak, has issues that we know about.
Like shonkey’s government is the ninny state? Surely not!
Denialists’ Deck of Cards: The 2 of Spades, “Mere Inconvenience”
🙂
I would’ve thought three monkeys were more appropriate…
Hear no evidence-based data/see no evidence-based data/don’t talk about evidence based data …
that corroborates the existence of climate change.
any chance of photoshopping the monkeys with shonkey and two other ministers?
Bill & Gerry, I can picture it
the naked truth is and note that ruth is more ofensive than nudity is that nothing will change until either the oil runs out or it can no longer be extracted. the owners and proprietors of oil care nothing for the earth or its people. they only want unbridled wealth NOW and to hell with the consequences.
Exactly randal and that is why an unbridled, profit driven capitalist “free-market” will always result in over use of resources and excess population.
No, its not just greed, its stupidity. The people who got rich thought it had to do with something they are doing, but in fact it was just cheap oil, cheap credit and lower standards, with the odd new advance from some expert who never received the benefit of their work. Gates did not invent the PC, and any number of back garages were filling with would be computer nerds.
Even Buffet is not much of an innovator in the sense that its time and true rules that he applies, i.e. find consistent conscientious managers who produce profit in companies that have underlying growth and buy into them when they are under valued. Which was not hard when the whole market was under so much cheap energy and easy credit, the balloon was growing.
Now the balloon isn’t only fools still think the free market is virtuous.
If we are too survive, and keep some of the technology, we need manufacturers to recycle the product when it breaks. In olden times you would take the boots back to the cobbler and he’ll fix them, until they were no longer of value, then the cobbler who use the leather from the shoe to make something else. Only when the manufacturers have a profit motive to recycle, i.e. a liability will they build products that last longer, are easy to fix and are easy to recycle.
But as I said, the idiots in Washington, London and now renamed NZ capital Wellywood, don’t want to change they think too conservatively and there lies the peril.
Totally agree about the recycling , with good regulation most things could be either built to high standards so they last (altho the germans do this for a lot of there goods already) or built so they can be up graded or repaired easily, creating thousands of job in the process.
Instead of buying a new laptop every couple of years you should be able to take it in and have it reconditioned , shit the keys haven’t changed places and the screen is just a screen, the tools I use every day have hardly changed in hundreds of years, it’s just some are made in china now (build-in obsolescence) and you just throw them away after they inevitably brake (not that I buy anything made in china if I have the choice) of-course the evil marketers would have to be stopped from brain washing and pushing shiny stuff on our gullible youth, this could be done with education but not everyone is so lucky in that respect.
Break, not “brake”.
Benefits of an education….
Benefits of an education…
I am a 4th form drop out, I was (still am) over 10 years ahead of most of ‘educated’ fuckwits in this society, education = dumbing down of the masses.
Couldn’t agree more Robert.
sometimes thats very true. and sometimes its very untrue. I’ve met some astonishingly stupid PhDs, and one of the best engineers I ever worked with had an NZCE. that being said, I once spent 4 years trying to convince a guy that power = torque x angular speed for a rotating thingy. and never could – he still maintains that “it has tons of torque” (when hardly moving) and goes really fast (when delivering no torque) therefore it should have tons of power. In spite of every measurement that anyone has ever made on that gear. *sigh*
and of course there is the free-space energy crowd – collective IQ in the high twenties……
clever people are clever, and dumb people are dumb. Education doesnt necessarily change that, especially not “training”
[Deleted….you are abusing your welcome. RL]
“deleted”
Actually, that phrase was one I heard from a PhD friend of mine. I hardly find it offensive. It is supposed to be humorous.
Quite a touchy lot aren’t we?
[lprent: It is unlikely. RL is probably one of the mildest and balanced moderators we have. You could argue about it, but that would waste moderators time. Needless to say we don’t like that and view it as a self-martyrdom offense. See the policy. ]
[In the context of the thread the comment I deleted simply came across as a pointless insult. And then trying to defend it with the old ‘can’t you take a joke’ line is a fail as well. RL]
Sarcasm, the lowest form of wit.
Mr Smith = with good regulation most things could be either built to high standards so they last or built so they can be up graded or repaired easily, creating thousands of job in the process.
Could, would, should ………….. maybe if we had started 100 years ago.
As the late Dr Peter Lloyd said “we have all the answers” http://www.youtube.com/user/oilcrash1#p/u/98/F2vflGvgC68
But as we say, no one wants to ask the questions ). No one in ‘authority’ anyway.
When the Titanic went down the band played on, what we need is a couple of comedians on stage, ops sorry we have them already – Goff and Key, not forgetting there dance partners ie the other 118 clowns in parliament.
WASF .
Ruth isnt offensive, especially not nude – she’s sexy. I am a very lucky man 😀