Three disturbingly different views on climate change

Written By: - Date published: 2:10 pm, June 10th, 2019 - 63 comments
Categories: climate change, disaster, Donald Trump, global warming, science, uk politics, uncategorized, us politics - Tags:

The past week we have experienced a terrifyingly disturbing array of views on climate change.  The first came from the President of the United States who thought that things were fine and America has the best climate.  From the BBC:

“I believe that there’s a change in weather and I think it changes both ways,” Mr Trump told Piers Morgan in an interview that aired on Wednesday.

Mr Trump said he shared the prince’s desire for a “good climate” but blamed other nations for increasing pollution.

He has rolled back many US climate laws despite warnings from his own agencies.

Mr Trump said his meeting with Prince Charles was meant to last only 15 minutes.

“He did most of the talking, and he was really into climate change and I think that’s great,” Mr Trump said of Prince Charles on the ITV programme Good Morning Britain.

“He wants to make sure future generations have climate that is good climate as opposed to a disaster and I agree.”

But Mr Trump once again placed the blame on other countries, namely China, India and Russia, for worsening air and water quality while claiming the US has one of “the cleanest climates there are”.

“Don’t forget, it used to be called global warming, that wasn’t working, then it was called climate change, now it’s actually called extreme weather because with extreme weather you can’t miss,” the president said.

Mr Trump pointed to past examples of weather disasters to refute the idea that “extreme weather” is becoming more common due to climate change.

“I don’t remember tornados in the United States to this extent but then when you look back 40 years ago we had the worst tornado binge we ever had. In the 1890s we had our worst hurricanes.”

It is a shame this person is too stupid to realise that his views are bizarre. 

Although it is difficult to work out if he is motivated by a klutzy misunderstanding of the science or a deep seated mendacity to the issue.  

Because he is doing is best to stuff up the US clean energy market.  From Time:

In the biggest blow he’s dealt to the renewable energy industry yet, President Donald Trump decided on Monday to slap tariffs on imported solar panels.

The U.S. will impose duties of as much as 30 percent on solar equipment made abroad, a move that threatens to handicap a $28 billion industry that relies on parts made abroad for 80 percent of its supply. Just the mere threat of tariffs has shaken solar developers in recent months, with some hoarding panels and others stalling projects in anticipation of higher costs. The Solar Energy Industries Association has projected tens of thousands of job losses in a sector that employed 260,000.

The tariffs are just the latest action Trump has taken that undermine the economics of renewable energy. The administration has already decided to pull the U.S. out of the international Paris climate agreement, rolled back Obama-era regulations on power plant-emissions and passed sweeping tax reforms that constrained financing for solar and wind. The import taxes, however, will prove to be the most targeted strike on the industry yet.

Then there was this contrary view from people who actually know what they are talking about and who have presented a dark view of our future that regrettably appears to be a coherent appraisal.  From the Herald:

In the past week, the world has experienced chaotic weather phenomena, from deathly Indian heatwaves to snow inundating parts of Queensland. Now, the Breakthrough National Centre for Climate Change has issued a report predicting the end of human civilisation as we know it.

The report, terrifyingly entitled Existential climate-related security risk, glimpses 30 years into the future to the year 2050 — and the results are grim.

Authors David Spratt, a researcher into climate change, and Ian Dunlop, former chairman of the Australian Coal Association and chair of the Australian Greenhouse Office Experts Group on Emissions Trading, propose a scenario in which global emissions and climate threats are ignored, and the trajectory of environmental collapse goes unchecked.

Their conclusions spell out a dire warning.

Using climate data, Spratt and Dunlop claim the Earth can expect at least a 3C rise in temperatures, which would trigger global decay and destruction of crucial ecosystems, including the Arctic, Amazon rainforests and coral reefs.

“More than a billion people may need to be relocated, and in high-end scenarios, the scale of destruction is beyond our capacity to model, with a high likelihood of human civilisation coming to an end,” Spratt and Dunlop warn.

By 2050, total ecological collapse would give way to massive social consequences ranging from “increased religious fervour to outright chaos”.

The report suggests the catastrophic chain of environmental disasters will climax with widespread pandemics, forced migration from inhabitable locations and a likely nuclear war due to skirmishing for limited resources.

“Planetary and human systems (reach) a ‘point of no return’ by mid-century in which the prospect of a largely uninhabitable Earth leads to the breakdown of nations and the international order,” the report predicts.

The report is perhaps new in that it focusses on the likely effect on civilisation of climate change rather than the environmental effects.

But surely this report and all of the similar reports that have preceded it should be sufficient for people to decide to do something.  

A third approach has emerged.  English Chancellor Philip Hammond has recently claimed that climate change is too expensive to do anything.  Thankfully Downing Street ridiculed his claims.  From the Guardian:

Downing Street has shot down claims made by the chancellor, Philip Hammond, that tackling the climate crisis would cost £1tn and require spending cuts for schools, hospitals and the police force.

No 10 said plans to create a net zero carbon economy would cost no more than the UK’s existing plans to reduce greenhouse gas emissions.

The firm response will be seen as a rare rebuke for Hammond, who warned Theresa May that reducing greenhouse gas emissions to net zero could cost the country £1tn and lead to industries becoming “economically uncompetitive” without government subsidies.

In a letter to the prime minister, Hammond said the proposed 2050 net zero target – one of the most far-reaching proposed in the world – would mean less money for schools, the NHS and police forces, the Financial Times reported.

Downing Street said analysis from the Committee on Climate Change (CCC) showed that the cost of a net zero carbon economy would “fall within our existing spending plans”.

It is funny that he complains about less money for schools, the NHS and the Police.  I thought this was the Conservative’s reason for being.

And sure the figure is large but Britain’s current Crown debt is 1.8 trillion GBP and its GDP is 2.06 trillion.  Britain can afford to do something about it.

Some right wing politicians do get it:

Maybe Boris should have a chat with Trump.

63 comments on “Three disturbingly different views on climate change ”

  • Comments are now closed

  1. tc 1
    10 June 2019 at 3:59 pm

    Boris says what is expected to Garner support with no shame, sarcasm and with the practiced delivery of a used car salesperson.

    It's not that words aren't so much cheap with the Boris they're virtually worthless. His brexit bus sums the bs artist up.

  2. bewildered 2
    10 June 2019 at 5:05 pm

    Saying all of that the US has done more to reduce their emissions than nearly all Paris signatories including nz as a result of shale revolution, similarly most green innovations and technology is coming out of the states At the end of the day people get far to worked up over trumps utterances and tweets which in most cases are just hyperbole or trump been trump

    • WeTheBleeple 2.1
      10 June 2019 at 6:30 pm

      "The “Shale Revolution” refers to the combination of hydraulic fracturing and horizontal drilling that enabled the United States to significantly increase its production of oil and natural gas, particularly from tight oil formations, which now account for 36% of total U.S. crude oil production."

      A Frenchman discovered photovoltaic aka solar. A Frenchman discovered tidal energy.

      Canada has three large-scale CCS projects in commercial operation, including SaskPower’s CCS facility at the Boundary Dam Power Station near Estevan, Sask., the Weyburn-Midale enhanced oil recovery projects operated by Cenovus Energy and Apache Canada, and the Shell Quest project at the Scotford oilsands upgrader near Edmonton.

      “The percentage of carbon dioxide that the MOF can absorb depends on the process,” Snurr says. “The [United States] Department of Energy target is to remove 90 per cent of carbon dioxide from a power plant; it’s likely that a process using this material could meet that target.”

      With their nanoscopic pores and incredibly high surface areas, MOFs are excellent materials for gas storage. MOFs’ vast internal surface areas allow them to hold remarkably high volumes of gas. The volume of some MOF crystals might be the size of a grain of salt, for example, but the internal surface area, if unfolded, could cover an entire football field.

      That is the US with their blue sky approach. Guess what else has tremendous surface area like described above – carbon. I can put charcoal in a chimney and do the same job as this nano-tech bullshit.

      $8000 spanners, nano-tech carbon scrubbers. LOL! They also have 'nano-sponges'…

      Go the USA, high tech genius!

      Swedish scientists have created crystals that capture CO2 much more efficiently than previously known materials, even in the presence of water.

      There's a US/EU study on injecting CO2 into rocks to turn it into rock. You just got to capture it, transport it, drill down to volcanic bedrock, inject it, seal it. Easy peasy.

      G.K. Surya Prakash and George Olah have learned to turn carbon into fuel!

      Dr. Prakash was born as the sixth child of late G.N. Krishnamurthy a noted economics professor from Bengaluru, and late Anasuyamma Krishnamurthy. He studied at the Vasanthnagar Government Primary School, and the Gandhinagar Higher Secondary School.

      But he's in the US now so…. dibs!

      US scientists have discovered how to make 'low-energy' carbon-fibre which they hope to sell for hundreds of thousands of dollars per ton. Great tech, not gonna save anyone.

      Carbon capture in Canada

      "A Canadian company, called Carbon Engineering, has published peer-reviewed findings, which show the process can now be done for less than $100 per ton. This is a major improvement on current estimates of $600 per ton."

      I reckon the US is still a major problem actually. The biggest threat of the lot.

    • Pat 2.2
      10 June 2019 at 6:39 pm

      Fuck you speak a load of shit

      • WeTheBleeple 2.2.1
        10 June 2019 at 6:44 pm

        ^^ That comment was almost like you were channeling me – the comment I made before doing some investigation on behalf of other readers. And he speaks the fecal streaks with such confidence!

    • joe90 2.3
      11 June 2019 at 10:53 pm

      Saying all of that the US has done more to reduce their emissions than nearly all Paris signatories

      BFD. Per capita they're still emitting more double what we do and nearly three times more than France

      https://data.worldbank.org/indicator/EN.ATM.CO2E.PC?locations=US

      https://data.worldbank.org/indicator/EN.ATM.CO2E.PC?locations=FR&view=chart

      https://data.worldbank.org/indicator/EN.ATM.CO2E.PC?locations=NZ&view=chart

      • Mack . 2.3.1
        13 June 2019 at 7:19 pm

        WTF does the World Bank know about the science of the mythical man-made "climate change". It's the same as getting your medical prescription from a ventriloquist.

        • Pat 2.3.1.1
          13 June 2019 at 7:21 pm

          where have you been for the past 6 months Mack?

          • Mack . 2.3.1.1.1
            13 June 2019 at 8:14 pm

            Nah, Pat, it's more like where have YOU been for the last 30 years.

            https://jennifermarohasy.com/2011/03/temperatures-of-void-space-and-microstates/#comment-477093

            Read some science and get yourself enlightened.

            [That links to a nonsensical comment by you made on March 19, 2011 at 7:50 am. If you have nothing better to contribute here I’d suggest you pull your head before Lynn pulls your head off – Incognito]

            • Pat 2.3.1.1.1.1
              13 June 2019 at 8:42 pm

              Coverage by the Guardian's Graham Readfearn noted that none of the conservative media reports had sought views of the research amongst members of the scientific community. When Readfearn did so, he received severe criticisms of the work and its methods, and declarations that it was "junk science" (by David Karoly) and that the publication should be withdrawn.[3] Methodological issues with the research and criticisms made included:

              • Unexplained and selective use of proxy temperature records – only six were used and no reason was given for their choice,[3] when a recent paper showed that there are at least 692 available.[25] Their approach was criticised as "extremely unscientific" by Benjamin Henley of the University of Melbourne for making no attempt to compare their approach with actual temperature data. With results that are interpreted incorrectly and which do not support the conclusions, Henley stated that the paper should never have been published and should be withdrawn by the journal.[3] Henley made harsher comments directly to Marohasy on Twitter, describing the paper as "an absolute pile of rubbish" that "reads like a D-grade high school lab report and is utterly flawed."[26]
              • Gavin Schmidt, the Director of NASA's Goddard Institute for Space Studies, described that paper as an example of "what happens when people have their conclusions fixed before they start the work" and assessed it as "worthless." He identified an internal contradiction in their method, whereby equilibrium climate sensitivity was assumed to be solely due to natural internal variations (and thus excluding external factors including volcanic action and solar variations) despite this contradicting claims elsewhere in the paper. Schmidt also found that "something went wrong" in the digitisation of the results resulting in a temporal offset. Consequently, in the Northern Hemisphere data, "what they think is 2000, is actually 1965" and so at least 35 years of recent warming has been omitted.[3] Schmidt put his criticisms direct to Marohasy on Twitter, seeking her comments on his statement that her "conclusions are based on inaccurately cited data that's incorrectly scaled and incorrectly aligned in time."[27] Marohasy rejected Schmidt's claims as "false"[28] and declared that Schmidt was wrong[27][29] when he suggested[30]that they had used a smoothed version of the Moberg at al. (2005)[31] data set.
              • Piers Forster, the Director of the Priestley International Centre for Climate, criticised the "unphysical" approach taken in using extrapolation where measured data are available. For example, patterns of volcanic activity prior to 1880 have been extrapolated forward despite the actual pattern of volcanism in the previous 150 years being both well-known and significantly different from the period pre 1880.[3]
              • Author John Abbot was also criticised for claiming an affiliation to James Cook University, despite the manuscript being submitted well after his adjunct position ended.[3]

              Ah well…indeed my question was a straightforward one, not rhetorical….you seem to turn up for very brief periods every 6 months or so…at least under this moniker for the past year or so.

            • Incognito 2.3.1.1.1.2
              13 June 2019 at 9:32 pm

              See my Moderation note @ 8:14 PM.

  3. John Stowell 3
    10 June 2019 at 5:13 pm

    Still up to us what we do in New Zealand and unless we get stuck in and do something truly effective who are we to complain about others?

    • Bewildered 3.1
      10 June 2019 at 5:33 pm

      Yep people over play trump or think US is like nz, it is very different system All power does not lie in the presidency, It is just one branch of 3 that keep checks and balances on each other, similarly it has a written constitution as a federation of states protected by the Supreme Court In essence its not like nz where parliament is supreme and can do what they want ( ie gun laws etc) Likewise states can enact their own policies to a great degree on climate change ( California) no matter what trump thinks

    • greywarshark 3.2
      10 June 2019 at 7:04 pm

      JS Oh are you Superman in the mild mannered Clark Kent mode. You had better keep a good supply of kryptonite handy because you aren't up to speed about the urgency of things these days. Who are we to complain about others indeed, little old us trying to move our 4 million people to start on making our small changes, and watching the 400 millions+ want to continue BAU until either the company collapses or the world does.

  4. barry 4
    10 June 2019 at 5:27 pm

    The BNCCC are as batshit crazy as Trump. There will NOT be a 3 degrees temperature rise by 2050. At most there will be another 0.5 degrees rise.

    Such predictions are not helpful in getting people to pay attention. The real consequences are bad enough, without ridiculous exaggerations.

    • WeTheBleeple 4.1
      10 June 2019 at 6:33 pm

      Proof for your oh so confident dribbling please.

      • greywarshark 4.1.1
        10 June 2019 at 6:57 pm

        Yaddah yaddah yaddah. I think yrrab is trying to stand on his head while tying his shoelaces and the blood is flooding his brain. We are bound to have more like this as times become more difficult.

        They will do anything rather than think for themselves. It probably takes half a dozen of beer to just kickstart their thinking process along its rusty tracks.

    • Pat 4.2
      10 June 2019 at 6:36 pm

      "The scenarios "don't seem that far-fetched to me. I don't think there's anything too crazy about them," said Adam Sobel, a professor of applied physics and mathematics at Columbia University in New York City who studies atmospheric and climate dynamics."

      https://www.usatoday.com/story/news/nation/2019/06/05/climate-change-apocalypse-could-start-2050-if-we-do-noting/1356865001/

      • Mack . 4.2.1
        11 June 2019 at 9:10 pm

        "climate change apocalypse could start 2050…" Speculative crap from another looney academic bedwetting watermelon.

        At this present time, it looks as if the 4 horsemen haven't even saddled up yet.

      • barry 4.2.2
        12 June 2019 at 10:15 pm

        20 years ago I was arguing with climate change deniers who were saying that the world wasn't warming and that sea levels weren't rising. I made some guesses then about where we would be now and they were pretty accurate.

        If you look at the graphs of temperature and sea levels over the last 60 years and extend them another 30, you will not be far off what we are going to see by 2050. I expect sea level to rise about 10 cm more and temperatures to rise by about another 0.2 degrees. This is already shocking and unacceptable that humans are going to allow it to happen (and in fact cause it).

        There are a few extreme cases (feedback tipping points), that could cause faster rises, but they are rather unlikely. 2 degrees or more in 30 years is beyond unlikely.

        Beyond 2050 we will see another half a degree rise by about 2100, but luckily I won't be around to say I told you so.

  5. WILD KATIPO 5
    10 June 2019 at 5:58 pm

    … '' It is a shame this person is too stupid to realise that his views are bizarre''…

    Another two minute's wasted time to delete unwanted multiple copied and pasted material.

    @ thanks at IPRENT.

    Is it really stupid or bizarre? Or do you just hate on Trump as a residue of the failed theory of 'Russian collusion in rigging U.S elections ' Mueller report , – around rigging the USA elections? Can you get over it and move on?

    NOW,… you really think you have problems due to anthropomorphic climate change?… or do you agree the wooly mammoths died with such rapidity in former times that the so called paleontologists stated with alarm the fact that they died with ' tufts of grass still in their trunks'… and /or when the explosions of Krakatoa dimmed the Northern Hemisphere for 5 years and cast a pink / red glow at each and every sunset?

    My ,… there were supposedly a lot of volcanoes going off before we were even supposed to exist as a species…. according to the geologists, the paleontologists and long before the anthropologists… they called that era the carboniferous period…

    …. Or so we are led to believe…

    Do we ignore the historic warm age when England produced grapes which rivaled that of France during the Middle ages ?… or is that just a convenient Tolkien myth of Orks and Ogres?

    Will you accept the massive extinction events of the past as natural earth cycles or try to tie them into some kind of anthropomorphic interference from Homo Erectus or Homo Habililus's habitual lighting of camp fires?

    You see how silly this is getting?

    And yes,… we do not want to see the demise of polar bears , yet even nature does not need us,… they are interbreeding with brown bears…forming 'grolar or pizzly' bears…

    And that surely is a mock against all the Kings soldiers and all the Kings men… and the Bilderberger sham with global taxes on carbon, – while they relocate those same polluting industry's to third world nations to reap profits based on 'slave labour' conditions and unregulated polluting industry's.

    Get a grip on yourselves.

    Stop with the Al Gore crap who stood to gain millions out of this carbon tax scam and start to realize the con job . Yes , your sea levels are going to rise. Yes ,your climate is changing. And yes we are in for shitty weather. And yes , millions of people are going to be misplaced and refugeed because of it . But there's not a damn thing either the globalist Bilderbergers or Al Gore or any other con man group around that can do a damned thing about it.

    Accept it , and be like the animals our brethren and adapt.

    No one ever promised you a rose garden.

    This whole climate change thing has gone through so many multitude chameleon changes it is unreal. Every few years we see a new slant on the equation. When last years flavour of the month doesn't fit the narrative we suddenly get a new one.

    In all honesty ?

    You have more to fear from THIS , than rising sea levels:

    What Does a Nuclear Bomb Explosion Feel Like? – YouTube



    • WILD KATIPO 5.1
      10 June 2019 at 6:07 pm

      In honour of my Late Aunty Joyce who really was a Labour supporter in the 1970's and who wouldn't have had any truck with the freak side show for what passes as Labour now. She , and her generation did it hard. They knew what it was to bring up a family on the bare minimum ,they saw their family members die in Europe. And still they carried on keeping on keeping on.

      Lynn Anderson – I Beg Your Pardon, I Never Promised You A Rose …

      • greywarshark 5.1.1
        10 June 2019 at 6:53 pm

        Mod

        WK is having trouble working the new system for comments. Can you cut out all that blank space he has in 5? Its weirdly annoying.

        • WILD KATIPO 5.1.1.1
          10 June 2019 at 7:11 pm

          Get a grip and get honest please.

          Its not my fault as I have said.

          And please do not try the deflection route when it doesn't suit your political parameters. I am non tribalistic. I do not care for closed debate and preaching to a captive audience no matter what political stripe you claim to be.

          I thank you for your time.

  6. WeTheBleeple 6
    10 June 2019 at 6:38 pm

    Reading the above who have their own agendas it's easy to see why we're fucked. Average IQ.

    • Macro 6.1
      10 June 2019 at 6:57 pm

      +100%

    • WILD KATIPO 6.2
      10 June 2019 at 7:07 pm

      Its interesting that in the era of Gwondaland and the breaking way of continents,… and the volcanic mountain building process and formation of tectonic plates , the submerging of vast areas of former carbon lifeforms aka plants,.. that we discover ,.. supposedly tens of thousands of years later ,… an energy source.

      Which sheds light on the fallacy that the environment which we enjoy now was the same as the environment previously. In fact , it was vastly different. That is ,… according to the paleontologists.

      All we have succeeded in doing ( according to them which they never admit to ) is to release the carbon that was previously locked up in the form of oil and coal reserves. And in effect, … in a retrograde fashion , return our environment to an ' earlier ' age.

      If you study the supposed early origins of this planet , you will find that the oceans occupied massive areas of current landscape to which we currently take for granted.

      Putting Solar and Galactic stresses aside , the advent of a meteorite smashing into another planet around the sun causing the Asteroid belt,…and the fact of a series of massive extinction events occurring on this planet regardless of mere 'human wants or needs' is a reality. And no Al Gore or Bilderberger society was ever there to advise us or ward that off….

      Do you really think they would have been effective back then?

      Of course not.

      And that is exactly the point.

      There comes a time when ' all the Kings horses and all the Kings men will never put Humpty back together again'.

      Otherwise you will end up as King Canute and his followers, – trying to hold back the tide and forever being humiliated by their failure.

      • WeTheBleeple 6.2.1
        10 June 2019 at 7:13 pm

        I appreciate your passion and hope you are ok. Trying times.

      • Pat 6.2.2
        10 June 2019 at 7:38 pm

        Humans have been around for max 200,000 years….organised societies of any scale maybe a few thousand…you're describing events millions of years ago….are you really going to claim equivalence?

        • WILD KATIPO 6.2.2.1
          10 June 2019 at 7:58 pm

          What the hell nonsensical rhetorical philosophical argument is that ?

          Read the text, buddy , read the text.

          I'm talking about ( according to the flavour of the month scientists you chose to follow at the time ) and quoting your own scientific bullshit that you have been led to believe in since around the time before the late 1980's when it suddenly became fashionable to go along with the latest globalist scam epitomized by a Democrat politician of the USA of 'uniting the world' against our own stupidity,- stupidity that is reflected in those same nutjobs who were government paid and who prior to that ,… had no qualms about making a buck out of the global energy industry.

          Wise up.

          The planets climate is changing, – for better or for worse, – and there isn't a damn thing you can do about it. Unless you want to relocate the polluting industry's to the third world nations while the globalists fleece you of your tax dollars as you lay dieing in the belly of a Siberian Mammoth.

          Have a chat to that extinct Siberian Mammoth and get a perspective on what it was like to die with a trunkfull of tundra grass still in your gob. Maybe that'll set you straight. Ask if Al Gore had of been around back then if that would have changed things.

          • Pat 6.2.2.1.1
            10 June 2019 at 8:53 pm

            And 'the text' implies we have no agency…when the reality is we are the cause…and cruicially WE CAN do something about, though we are most unlikely to as your attitude amply displays.

            Can we stop it ?no ….but we can sure as hell reduce the impact if we so choose

            • Mack . 6.2.2.1.1.1
              11 June 2019 at 9:20 pm

              The only impact we have to reduce is the impact this looney "greenhouse" crap has on the minds of our children.

  7. greywarshark 7
    10 June 2019 at 6:50 pm

    This seems a sensible and defensible approach to climate change and drought in Hawkes Bay.

    Environment Minister David Parker said the water storage projects were of a much smaller scale than previously proposed initiatives, like the rejected Ruataniwha Dam project.

    Both projects will support horticultural production in the region by improving the security of water supply in dry years, Mr Parker said.

    Unlike the prior Ruataniwha scheme, which relied on increasing cow and cattle numbers putting more pressure on water quality, these projects will assist the conversion of livestock farms to horticulture, Mr Tabuteau said.

    Cabinet cannot continue to invest in water storage to put more dairy on the ground, he said.

    https://www.rnz.co.nz/news/national/391693/pgf-spends-68m-in-hawke-s-bay-two-dams-among-main-projects

    Sounds good to me. Labour Coalition making a difference for the better.

    • WeTheBleeple 7.1
      10 June 2019 at 7:00 pm

      That's freaking brilliant. Have they been reading 'How to Get There' or got their own resident fluvial geomorphologists… hehehe.

      What are the main crops in Hawkes Bay? Great sunlight hours I hear… (googles)

      Loads of crops. This could go really well if it doesn't all end up Talleys land…

      I could probably design a cleaner set-up for the salmon farmers (my aquaculture has not required cleaning for 20 years now), but the guy sounds like a right shit. 50M profit in the last year, whinge moan I’m so important…

      • WILD KATIPO 7.1.1
        10 June 2019 at 7:20 pm

        And this is the panacea for 'climate change' ?

        Or just a feel good exercise in spending the public's purse?

        • WeTheBleeple 7.1.1.1
          10 June 2019 at 7:32 pm

          Trying to be nice but you are being a bit hysterical. You think we don't understand the urgency?

          Water is life. To capture biological carbon requires water. To transition to a high-veg based diet requires transition of dairy to gardens. Small scale earthworks for water capture completely transforms landscapes like the Loess Plateau, Gobi Desert and other projects we've been busy posting.

          While you just cuss everyone out like you're the only concerned citizen in town and the only one who knows anything. It's delusional at best.

          I ask again. Are you OK?

          • WILD KATIPO 7.1.1.1.1
            10 June 2019 at 8:14 pm

            Nothing hysterical at all.

            Havin' a good old time with you eager idealists.

            And one thing YOU WILL LEARN about me is I don't take kindly to crap, bullshit , hyperbole or fake arse bullshit for the sake of political points scoring.

            Period.

            And its a shame more don't speak up who are EXACTLY like me.

            I'm from the country , I am proudly and fiercely working class, have a Dip in science and technology and qualified as a head of security. As well as foreman in horticulture and self employed painter decorator , – what you take me for kid?

            Some sort of online noob at 55 years of age ?

            As I have said earlier on , – I don't give a flying rats shit about idealistic political bullshit. Who says they are wrong or who says they are right. Just the straight out truth.

            • WeTheBleeple 7.1.1.1.1.1
              10 June 2019 at 8:29 pm

              Yes, the truth is more important than all the horseshit they fling at each other. Couldn't agree more. A line needs to be drawn in the sand about bullshitting the public.

              You do sound like you've read one too many conspiracy theories and if you think global warming's a globalist hoax there's no point talking to you about it.

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    The ‘50 Shades of Green’ farmers’ protest in 2019 was heavy on climate change denial, but five years on, scepticism and criticism about the idea that pine forests can save us is growing across the board. File photo: Lynn GrievesonTL;DR: Here’s the top six news items of note in climate ...
    The KakaBy Bernard Hickey
    23 hours ago
  • What makes us tick

    This morning the sky was bright.The birds, in their usual joyous bliss. Nature doesn’t seem to feel the heat of what might angst humans.Their calls are clear and beautiful.Just some random thoughts:MāoriPaul Goldsmith has announced his government will roll back the judiciary’s rulings on Māori Customary Marine Title, which recognises ...
    Mountain TuiBy Mountain Tui
    1 day ago
  • Foreshore and seabed 2.0

    In 2003, the Court of Appeal delivered its decision in Ngati Apa v Attorney-General, ruling that Māori customary title over the foreshore and seabed had not been universally extinguished, and that the Māori Land Court could determine claims and confirm title if the facts supported it. This kicked off the ...
    No Right TurnBy Idiot/Savant
    1 day ago
  • Gordon Campbell on the Royal Commission report into abuse in care

    Earlier this week at Parliament, Labour leader Chris Hipkins was applauded for saying that the response to the final report of the Royal Commission of Inquiry into Abuse in Care had to be “bigger than politics.” True, but the fine words, apologies and “we hear you” messages will soon ring ...
    WerewolfBy lyndon
    1 day ago
  • The Kākā’s Pick 'n' Mix for Friday, July 26

    TL;DR: In news breaking this morning:The Ministry of Education is cutting $2 billion from its school building programme so the National-ACT-NZ First Coalition Government has enough money to deliver tax cuts; The Government has quietly lowered its child poverty reduction targets to make them easier to achieve;Te Whatu Ora-Health NZ’s ...
    The KakaBy Bernard Hickey
    1 day ago
  • Weekly Roundup 26-July-2024

    Kia ora. These are some stories that caught our eye this week – as always, feel free to share yours in the comments. Our header image this week (via Eke Panuku) shows the planned upgrade for the Karanga Plaza Tidal Swimming Steps. The week in Greater Auckland On ...
    Greater AucklandBy Greater Auckland
    1 day ago
  • God what a relief

    1. What's not to love about the way the Harris campaign is turning things around?a. Nothingb. Love all of itc. God what a reliefd. Not that it will be by any means easye. All of the above 2. Documents released by the Ministry of Health show Associate Health Minister Casey ...
    More Than A FeildingBy David Slack
    1 day ago
  • Trust In Me

    Trust in me in all you doHave the faith I have in youLove will see us through, if only you trust in meWhy don't you, you trust me?In a week that saw the release of the 3,000 page Abuse in Care report Christopher Luxon was being asked about Boot Camps. ...
    Nick’s KōreroBy Nick Rockel
    1 day ago
  • The Hoon around the week to July 26

    TL;DR: The podcast above of the weekly ‘hoon’ webinar for paying subscribers last night features co-hosts and talking about the Royal Commission Inquiry into Abuse in Care report released this week, and with:The Kākā’s climate correspondent on a UN push to not recognise carbon offset markets and ...
    The KakaBy Bernard Hickey
    1 day ago
  • The Kākā’s Journal of Record for Friday, July 26

    TL;DR: As of 6:00 am on Friday, July 26, the top six announcements, speeches, reports and research around housing, climate and poverty in Aotearoa’s political economy in the last day are:Transport: Simeon Brown announced $802.9 million in funding for 18 new trains on the Wairarapa and Manawatū rail lines, which ...
    The KakaBy Bernard Hickey
    1 day ago
  • Radical law changes needed to build road

    The northern expressway extension from Warkworth to Whangarei is likely to require radical changes to legislation if it is going to be built within the foreseeable future. The Government’s powers to purchase land, the planning process and current restrictions on road tolling are all going to need to be changed ...
    PolitikBy Richard Harman
    1 day ago
  • Skeptical Science New Research for Week #30 2024

    Open access notables Could an extremely cold central European winter such as 1963 happen again despite climate change?, Sippel et al., Weather and Climate Dynamics: Here, we first show based on multiple attribution methods that a winter of similar circulation conditions to 1963 would still lead to an extreme seasonal ...
    Skeptical Science
    2 days ago
  • First they came for the Māori

    Text within this block will maintain its original spacing when publishedFirst they came for the doctors But I was confused by the numbers and costs So I didn't speak up Then they came for our police and nurses And I didn't think we could afford those costs anyway So I ...
    Mountain TuiBy Mountain Tui
    2 days ago
  • Join us for the weekly Hoon on YouTube Live

    Photo by Joshua J. Cotten on UnsplashWe’re back again after our mid-winter break. We’re still with the ‘new’ day of the week (Thursday rather than Friday) when we have our ‘hoon’ webinar with paying subscribers to The Kākā for an hour at 5 pm.Jump on this link on YouTube Livestream ...
    The KakaBy Bernard Hickey
    2 days ago
  • Will the real PM Luxon please stand up?

    Notes: This is a free article. Abuse in Care themes are mentioned. Video is at the bottom.BackgroundYesterday’s report into Abuse in Care revealed that at least 1 in 3 of all who went through state and faith based care were abused - often horrifically. At least, because not all survivors ...
    Mountain TuiBy Mountain Tui
    2 days ago
  • Will debt reduction trump abuse in care redress?

    Luxon speaks in Parliament yesterday about the Abuse in Care report. Photo: Hagen Hopkins/Getty ImagesTL;DR: The top six things I’ve noted around housing, climate and poverty in Aotearoa’s political economy today are:PM Christopher Luxon said yesterday in tabling the Abuse in Care report in Parliament he wanted to ‘do the ...
    The KakaBy Bernard Hickey
    2 days ago
  • Olywhites and Time Bandits

    About a decade ago I worked with a bloke called Steve. He was the grizzled veteran coder, a few years older than me, who knew where the bodies were buried - code wise. Despite his best efforts to be approachable and friendly he could be kind of gruff, through to ...
    Nick’s KōreroBy Nick Rockel
    2 days ago
  • Why were the 1930s so hot in North America?

    This is a re-post from Yale Climate Connections by Jeff Masters and Bob Henson Those who’ve trawled social media during heat waves have likely encountered a tidbit frequently used to brush aside human-caused climate change: Many U.S. states and cities had their single hottest temperature on record during the 1930s, setting incredible heat marks ...
    Skeptical Science
    2 days ago
  • Throwback Thursday – Thinking about Expressways

    Some of the recent announcements from the government have reminded us of posts we’ve written in the past. Here’s one from early 2020. There were plenty of reactions to the government’s infrastructure announcement a few weeks ago which saw them fund a bunch of big roading projects. One of ...
    Greater AucklandBy Greater Auckland
    2 days ago
  • The Kākā’s Pick 'n' Mix for Thursday, July 25

    TL;DR: My pick of the top six links elsewhere around housing, climate and poverty in Aotearoa’s political economy in the last day or so to 7:00 am on Thursday, July 25 are:News: Why Electric Kiwi is closing to new customers - and why it matters RNZ’s Susan EdmundsScoop: Government drops ...
    The KakaBy Bernard Hickey
    2 days ago
  • The Possum: Demon or Friend?

    Hi,I felt a small wet tongue snaking through one of the holes in my Crocs. It explored my big toe, darting down one side, then the other. “He’s looking for some toe cheese,” said the woman next to me, words that still haunt me to this day.Growing up in New ...
    David FarrierBy David Farrier
    2 days ago
  • Not a story

    Yesterday I happily quoted the Prime Minister without fact-checking him and sure enough, it turns out his numbers were all to hell. It’s not four kg of Royal Commission report, it’s fourteen.My friend and one-time colleague-in-comms Hazel Phillips gently alerted me to my error almost as soon as I’d hit ...
    More Than A FeildingBy David Slack
    2 days ago
  • The Kākā’s Journal of Record for Thursday, July 25

    TL;DR: As of 6:00 am on Thursday, July 25, the top six announcements, speeches, reports and research around housing, climate and poverty in Aotearoa’s political economy in the last day were:The Abuse in Care Royal Commission of Inquiry published its final report yesterday.PM Christopher Luxon and The Minister responsible for ...
    The KakaBy Bernard Hickey
    2 days ago
  • A tougher line on “proactive release”?

    The Official Information Act has always been a battle between requesters seeking information, and governments seeking to control it. Information is power, so Ministers and government agencies want to manage what is released and when, for their own convenience, and legality and democracy be damned. Their most recent tactic for ...
    No Right TurnBy Idiot/Savant
    3 days ago
  • 'Let's build a motorway costing $100 million per km, before emissions costs'

    TL;DR: The top six things I’ve noted around housing, climate and poverty in Aotearoa’s political economy today are:Transport and Energy Minister Simeon Brown is accelerating plans to spend at least $10 billion through Public Private Partnerships (PPPs) to extend State Highway One as a four-lane ‘Expressway’ from Warkworth to Whangarei ...
    The KakaBy Bernard Hickey
    3 days ago
  • Lester's Prescription – Positive Bleeding.

    I live my life (woo-ooh-ooh)With no control in my destinyYea-yeah, yea-yeah (woo-ooh-ooh)I can bleed when I want to bleedSo come on, come on (woo-ooh-ooh)You can bleed when you want to bleedYea-yeah, come on (woo-ooh-ooh)Everybody bleed when they want to bleedCome on and bleedGovernments face tough challenges. Selling unpopular decisions to ...
    Nick’s KōreroBy Nick Rockel
    3 days ago
  • Casey Costello gaslights Labour in the House

    Please note:To skip directly to the- parliamentary footage in the video, scroll to 1:21 To skip to audio please click on the headphone icon on the left hand side of the screenThis video / audio section is under development. ...
    Mountain TuiBy Mountain Tui
    3 days ago
  • Why is the Texas grid in such bad shape?

    This is a re-post from the Climate Brink by Andrew Dessler Headline from 2021 The Texas grid, run by ERCOT, has had a rough few years. In 2021, winter storm Uri blacked out much of the state for several days. About a week ago, Hurricane Beryl knocked out ...
    Skeptical Science
    3 days ago
  • Gordon Campbell on a textbook case of spending waste by the Luxon government

    Given the crackdown on wasteful government spending, it behooves me to point to a high profile example of spending by the Luxon government that looks like a big, fat waste of time and money. I’m talking about the deployment of NZDF personnel to support the US-led coalition in the Red ...
    WerewolfBy lyndon
    3 days ago
  • The Kākā’s Pick 'n' Mix for Wednesday, July 24

    TL;DR: My pick of the top six links elsewhere around housing, climate and poverty in Aotearoa’s political economy in the last day or so to 7:40 am on Wednesday, July 24 are:Deep Dive: Chipping away at the housing crisis, including my comments RNZ/Newsroom’s The DetailNews: Government softens on asset sales, ...
    The KakaBy Bernard Hickey
    3 days ago
  • LXR Takaanini

    As I reported about the city centre, Auckland’s rail network is also going through a difficult and disruptive period which is rapidly approaching a culmination, this will result in a significant upgrade to the whole network. Hallelujah. Also like the city centre this is an upgrade predicated on the City ...
    Greater AucklandBy Patrick Reynolds
    3 days ago
  • Four kilograms of pain

    Today, a 4 kilogram report will be delivered to Parliament. We know this is what the report of the Royal Commission of Inquiry into Abuse in State and Faith-based Care weighs, because our Prime Minister told us so.Some reporter had blindsided him by asking a question about something done by ...
    More Than A FeildingBy David Slack
    3 days ago
  • The Kākā’s Journal of Record for Wednesday, July 24

    TL;DR: As of 7:00 am on Wednesday, July 24, the top six announcements, speeches, reports and research around housing, climate and poverty in Aotearoa’s political economy in the last day are:Beehive: Transport Minister Simeon Brown announced plans to use PPPs to fund, build and run a four-lane expressway between Auckland ...
    The KakaBy Bernard Hickey
    3 days ago
  • Luxon gets caught out

    NewstalkZB host Mike Hosking, who can usually be relied on to give Prime Minister Christopher Luxon an easy run, did not do so yesterday when he interviewed him about the HealthNZ deficit. Luxon is trying to use a deficit reported last year by HealthNZ as yet another example of the ...
    PolitikBy Richard Harman
    3 days ago
  • A worrying sign

    Back in January a StatsNZ employee gave a speech at Rātana on behalf of tangata whenua in which he insulted and criticised the government. The speech clearly violated the principle of a neutral public service, and StatsNZ started an investigation. Part of that was getting an external consultant to examine ...
    No Right TurnBy Idiot/Savant
    4 days ago
  • Are we fine with 47.9% home-ownership by 2048?

    Renting for life: Shared ownership initiatives are unlikely to slow the slide in home ownership by much. Photo: Lynn Grieveson / The KākāTL;DR: The top six things I’ve noted around housing, climate and poverty in Aotearoa’s political economy today are:A Deloitte report for Westpac has projected Aotearoa’s home-ownership rate will ...
    The KakaBy Bernard Hickey
    4 days ago
  • Let's Win This

    You're broken down and tiredOf living life on a merry go roundAnd you can't find the fighterBut I see it in you so we gonna walk it outAnd move mountainsWe gonna walk it outAnd move mountainsAnd I'll rise upI'll rise like the dayI'll rise upI'll rise unafraidI'll rise upAnd I'll ...
    Nick’s KōreroBy Nick Rockel
    4 days ago
  • Waimahara: The Singing Spirit of Water

    There’s been a change in Myers Park. Down the steps from St. Kevin’s Arcade, past the grassy slopes, the children’s playground, the benches and that goat statue, there has been a transformation. The underpass for Mayoral Drive has gone from a barren, grey, concrete tunnel, to a place that thrums ...
    Greater AucklandBy Connor Sharp
    4 days ago
  • A major milestone: Global climate pollution may have just peaked

    This is a re-post from Yale Climate Connections Global society may have finally slammed on the brakes for climate-warming pollution released by human fossil fuel combustion. According to the Carbon Monitor Project, the total global climate pollution released between February and May 2024 declined slightly from the amount released during the same ...
    Skeptical Science
    4 days ago
  • The Kākā’s Pick 'n' Mix for Tuesday, July 23

    TL;DR: My pick of the top six links elsewhere around housing, climate and poverty in Aotearoa’s political economy in the last day or so to 7:00 am on Tuesday, July 23 are:Deep Dive: Penlink: where tolling rhetoric meets reality BusinessDesk-$$$’s Oliver LewisScoop: Te Pūkenga plans for regional polytechs leak out ...
    The KakaBy Bernard Hickey
    4 days ago
  • The Kākā’s Journal of Record for Tuesday, July 23

    TL;DR: As of 6:00 am on Tuesday, July 23, the top six announcements, speeches, reports and research around housing, climate and poverty in Aotearoa’s political economy in the last day are:Health: Shane Reti announced the Board of Te Whatu Ora- Health New Zealand was being replaced with Commissioner Lester Levy ...
    The KakaBy Bernard Hickey
    4 days ago
  • HealthNZ and Luxon at cross purposes over budget blowout

    Health NZ warned the Government at the end of March that it was running over Budget. But the reasons it gave were very different to those offered by the Prime Minister yesterday. Prime Minister Christopher Luxon blamed the “botched merger” of the 20 District Health Boards (DHBs) to create Health ...
    PolitikBy Richard Harman
    4 days ago
  • 2500-3000 more healthcare staff expected to be fired, as Shane Reti blames Labour for a budget defic...

    Long ReadKey Summary: Although National increased the health budget by $1.4 billion in May, they used an old funding model to project health system costs, and never bothered to update their pre-election numbers. They were told during the Health Select Committees earlier in the year their budget amount was deficient, ...
    Mountain TuiBy Mountain Tui
    4 days ago
  • Might Kamala Harris be about to get a 'stardust' moment like Jacinda Ardern?

    As a momentous, historic weekend in US politics unfolded, analysts and commentators grasped for precedents and comparisons to help explain the significance and power of the choice Joe Biden had made. The 46th president had swept the Democratic party’s primaries but just over 100 days from the election had chosen ...
    PunditBy Tim Watkin
    5 days ago
  • Solutions Interview: Steven Hail on MMT & ecological economics

    TL;DR: I’m casting around for new ideas and ways of thinking about Aotearoa’s political economy to find a few solutions to our cascading and self-reinforcing housing, poverty and climate crises.Associate Professor runs an online masters degree in the economics of sustainability at Torrens University in Australia and is organising ...
    The KakaBy Steven Hail
    5 days ago
  • Reported back

    The Finance and Expenditure Committee has reported back on National's Local Government (Water Services Preliminary Arrangements) Bill. The bill sets up water for privatisation, and was introduced under urgency, then rammed through select committee with no time even for local councils to make a proper submission. Naturally, national's select committee ...
    No Right TurnBy Idiot/Savant
    5 days ago
  • Vandrad the Viking, Christopher Coombes, and Literary Archaeology

    Some years ago, I bought a book at Dunedin’s Regent Booksale for $1.50. As one does. Vandrad the Viking (1898), by J. Storer Clouston, is an obscure book these days – I cannot find a proper online review – but soon it was sitting on my shelf, gathering dust alongside ...
    A Phuulish FellowBy strda221
    5 days ago
  • Gordon Campbell On The Biden Withdrawal

    History is not on the side of the centre-left, when Democratic presidents fall behind in the polls and choose not to run for re-election. On both previous occasions in the past 75 years (Harry Truman in 1952, Lyndon Johnson in 1968) the Democrats proceeded to then lose the White House ...
    WerewolfBy lyndon
    5 days ago
  • Joe Biden's withdrawal puts the spotlight back on Kamala and the USA's complicated relatio...

    This is a free articleCoverageThis morning, US President Joe Biden announced his withdrawal from the Presidential race. And that is genuinely newsworthy. Thanks for your service, President Biden, and all the best to you and yours.However, the media in New Zealand, particularly the 1News nightly bulletin, has been breathlessly covering ...
    Mountain TuiBy Mountain Tui
    5 days ago
  • Why we have to challenge our national fiscal assumptions

    A homeless person’s camp beside a blocked-off slipped damage walkway in Freeman’s Bay: we are chasing our tail on our worsening and inter-related housing, poverty and climate crises. Photo: Photo: Lynn Grieveson / The KākāTL;DR: The top six things I’ve noted around housing, climate and poverty in Aotearoa’s political economy ...
    The KakaBy Bernard Hickey
    5 days ago
  • Existential Crisis and Damaged Brains

    What has happened to it all?Crazy, some'd sayWhere is the life that I recognise?(Gone away)But I won't cry for yesterdayThere's an ordinary worldSomehow I have to findAnd as I try to make my wayTo the ordinary worldYesterday morning began as many others - what to write about today? I began ...
    Nick’s KōreroBy Nick Rockel
    5 days ago
  • A speed limit is not a target, and yet…

    This is a guest post from longtime supporter Mr Plod, whose previous contributions include a proposal that Hamilton become New Zealand’s capital city, and that we should switch which side of the road we drive on. A recent Newsroom article, “Back to school for the Govt’s new speed limit policy“, ...
    Greater AucklandBy Guest Post
    5 days ago
  • The Kākā’s Pick 'n' Mix for Monday, July 22

    TL;DR: My pick of the top six links elsewhere around housing, climate and poverty in Aotearoa’s political economy in the last day or so to 7:00 am on Monday, July 22 are:Today’s Must Read: Father and son live in a tent, and have done for four years, in a million ...
    The KakaBy Bernard Hickey
    5 days ago
  • The Kākā’s Journal of Record for Monday, July 22

    TL;DR: As of 7:00 am on Monday, July 22, the top six announcements, speeches, reports and research around housing, climate and poverty in Aotearoa’s political economy in the last day are:US President Joe Biden announced via X this morning he would not stand for a second term.Multinational professional services firm ...
    The KakaBy Bernard Hickey
    5 days ago
  • 2024 SkS Weekly Climate Change & Global Warming News Roundup #29

    A listing of 32 news and opinion articles we found interesting and shared on social media during the past week: Sun, July 14, 2024 thru Sat, July 20, 2024. Story of the week As reflected by preponderance of coverage, our Story of the Week is Project 2025. Until now traveling ...
    Skeptical Science
    6 days ago
  • I'd like to share what I did this weekend

    This weekend, a friend pointed out someone who said they’d like to read my posts, but didn’t want to pay. And my first reaction was sympathy.I’ve already told folks that if they can’t comfortably subscribe, and would like to read, I’d be happy to offer free subscriptions. I don’t want ...
    Mountain TuiBy Mountain Tui
    6 days ago
  • For the children – Why mere sentiment can be a misleading force in our lives, and lead to unex...

    National: The Party of ‘Law and Order’ IntroductionThis weekend, the Government formally kicked off one of their flagship policy programs: a military style boot camp that New Zealand has experimented with over the past 50 years. Cartoon credit: Guy BodyIt’s very popular with the National Party’s Law and Order image, ...
    Mountain TuiBy Mountain Tui
    6 days ago
  • A friend in uncertain times

    Day one of the solo leg of my long journey home begins with my favourite sound: footfalls in an empty street. 5.00 am and it’s already light and already too warm, almost.If I can make the train that leaves Budapest later this hour I could be in Belgrade by nightfall; ...
    More Than A FeildingBy David Slack
    6 days ago
  • The Chaotic World of Male Diet Influencers

    Hi,We’ll get to the horrific world of male diet influencers (AKA Beefy Boys) shortly, but first you will be glad to know that since I sent out the Webworm explaining why the assassination attempt on Donald Trump was not a false flag operation, I’ve heard from a load of people ...
    David FarrierBy David Farrier
    6 days ago
  • It's Starting To Look A Lot Like… Y2K

    Do you remember Y2K, the threat that hung over humanity in the closing days of the twentieth century? Horror scenarios of planes falling from the sky, electronic payments failing and ATMs refusing to dispense cash. As for your VCR following instructions and recording your favourite show - forget about it.All ...
    Nick’s KōreroBy Nick Rockel
    1 week ago
  • Bernard’s Saturday Soliloquy for the week to July 20

    Climate Change Minister Simon Watts being questioned by The Kākā’s Bernard Hickey.TL;DR: My top six things to note around housing, climate and poverty in Aotearoa’s political economy in the week to July 20 were:1. A strategy that fails Zero Carbon Act & Paris targetsThe National-ACT-NZ First Coalition Government finally unveiled ...
    The KakaBy Bernard Hickey
    1 week ago
  • Pharmac Director, Climate Change Commissioner, Health NZ Directors – The latest to quit this m...

    Summary:As New Zealand loses at least 12 leaders in the public service space of health, climate, and pharmaceuticals, this month alone, directly in response to the Government’s policies and budget choices, what lies ahead may be darker than it appears. Tui examines some of those departures and draws a long ...
    Mountain TuiBy Mountain Tui
    1 week ago
  • Flooding Housing Policy

    The Minister of Housing’s ambition is to reduce markedly the ratio of house prices to household incomes. If his strategy works it would transform the housing market, dramatically changing the prospects of housing as an investment.Leaving aside the Minister’s metaphor of ‘flooding the market’ I do not see how the ...
    PunditBy Brian Easton
    1 week ago
  • A Voyage Among the Vandals: Accepted (Again!)

    As previously noted, my historical fantasy piece, set in the fifth-century Mediterranean, was accepted for a Pirate Horror anthology, only for the anthology to later fall through. But in a good bit of news, it turned out that the story could indeed be re-marketed as sword and sorcery. As of ...
    A Phuulish FellowBy strda221
    1 week ago
  • The Kākā's Chorus for Friday, July 19

    An employee of tobacco company Philip Morris International demonstrates a heated tobacco device. Photo: Getty ImagesTL;DR: The top six things I’ve noted around housing, climate and poverty in Aotearoa’s political economy on Friday, July 19 are:At a time when the Coalition Government is cutting spending on health, infrastructure, education, housing ...
    The KakaBy Bernard Hickey
    1 week ago
  • The Kākā’s Pick 'n' Mix for Friday, July 19

    TL;DR: My pick of the top six links elsewhere around housing, climate and poverty in Aotearoa’s political economy in the last day or so to 8:30 am on Friday, July 19 are:Scoop: NZ First Minister Casey Costello orders 50% cut to excise tax on heated tobacco products. The minister has ...
    The KakaBy Bernard Hickey
    1 week ago
  • Weekly Roundup 19-July-2024

    Kia ora, it’s time for another Friday roundup, in which we pull together some of the links and stories that caught our eye this week. Feel free to add more in the comments! Our header image this week shows a foggy day in Auckland town, captured by Patrick Reynolds. ...
    Greater AucklandBy Greater Auckland
    1 week ago
  • Weekly Climate Wrap: A market-led plan for failure

    TL;DR : Here’s the top six items climate news for Aotearoa this week, as selected by Bernard Hickey and The Kākā’s climate correspondent Cathrine Dyer. A discussion recorded yesterday is in the video above and the audio of that sent onto the podcast feed.The Government released its draft Emissions Reduction ...
    The KakaBy Bernard Hickey
    1 week ago
  • Tobacco First

    Save some money, get rich and old, bring it back to Tobacco Road.Bring that dynamite and a crane, blow it up, start all over again.Roll up. Roll up. Or tailor made, if you prefer...Whether you’re selling ciggies, digging for gold, catching dolphins in your nets, or encouraging folks to flutter ...
    Nick’s KōreroBy Nick Rockel
    1 week ago
  • Trump’s Adopted Son.

    Waiting In The Wings: For truly, if Trump is America’s un-assassinated Caesar, then J.D. Vance is America’s Octavian, the Republic’s youthful undertaker – and its first Emperor.DONALD TRUMP’S SELECTION of James D. Vance as his running-mate bodes ill for the American republic. A fervent supporter of Viktor Orban, the “illiberal” prime ...
    Bowalley Road
    1 week ago
  • The Kākā’s Journal of Record for Friday, July 19

    TL;DR: As of 6:00 am on Friday, July 19, the top six announcements, speeches, reports and research around housing, climate and poverty in Aotearoa’s political economy in the last day are:The PSA announced the Employment Relations Authority (ERA) had ruled in the PSA’s favour in its case against the Ministry ...
    The KakaBy Bernard Hickey
    1 week ago

  • Joint statement from the Prime Ministers of Canada, Australia and New Zealand

    Australia, Canada and New Zealand today issued the following statement on the need for an urgent ceasefire in Gaza and the risk of expanded conflict between Hizballah and Israel. The situation in Gaza is catastrophic. The human suffering is unacceptable. It cannot continue.  We remain unequivocal in our condemnation of ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    18 hours ago
  • AG reminds institutions of legal obligations

    Attorney-General Judith Collins today reminded all State and faith-based institutions of their legal obligation to preserve records relevant to the safety and wellbeing of those in its care. “The Abuse in Care Inquiry’s report has found cases where records of the most vulnerable people in State and faith‑based institutions were ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    20 hours ago
  • More young people learning about digital safety

    Minister of Internal Affairs Brooke van Velden says the Government’s online safety website for children and young people has reached one million page views.  “It is great to see so many young people and their families accessing the site Keep It Real Online to learn how to stay safe online, and manage ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    21 hours ago
  • Speech to the Conference for General Practice 2024

    Tēnā tātou katoa,  Ngā mihi te rangi, ngā mihi te whenua, ngā mihi ki a koutou, kia ora mai koutou. Thank you for the opportunity to be here and the invitation to speak at this 50th anniversary conference. I acknowledge all those who have gone before us and paved the ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    23 hours ago
  • Employers and payroll providers ready for tax changes

    New Zealand’s payroll providers have successfully prepared to ensure 3.5 million individuals will, from Wednesday next week, be able to keep more of what they earn each pay, says Finance Minister Nicola Willis and Revenue Minister Simon Watts.  “The Government's tax policy changes are legally effective from Wednesday. Delivering this tax ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    1 day ago
  • Experimental vineyard futureproofs wine industry

    An experimental vineyard which will help futureproof the wine sector has been opened in Blenheim by Associate Regional Development Minister Mark Patterson. The covered vineyard, based at the New Zealand Wine Centre – Te Pokapū Wāina o Aotearoa, enables controlled environmental conditions. “The research that will be produced at the Experimental ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    1 day ago
  • Funding confirmed for regions affected by North Island Weather Events

    The Coalition Government has confirmed the indicative regional breakdown of North Island Weather Event (NIWE) funding for state highway recovery projects funded through Budget 2024, Transport Minister Simeon Brown says. “Regions in the North Island suffered extensive and devastating damage from Cyclone Gabrielle and the 2023 Auckland Anniversary Floods, and ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    1 day ago
  • Indonesian Foreign Minister to visit

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