Wasted food and carbon footprint
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- Date published:
12:34 pm, August 6th, 2016 - 17 comments
Categories: climate change, farming, food, global warming, sustainability -
Tags: carbon, emissions, food, waste
Last month I found this story pretty staggering. I always knew that “Western” countries threw away too much food – but – half?
Half of all US food produce is thrown away, new research suggests
The demand for ‘perfect’ fruit and veg means much is discarded, damaging the climate and leaving people hungry
Americans throw away almost as much food as they eat because of a “cult of perfection”, deepening hunger and poverty, and inflicting a heavy toll on the environment.
Vast quantities of fresh produce grown in the US are left in the field to rot, fed to livestock or hauled directly from the field to landfill, because of unrealistic and unyielding cosmetic standards, according to official data and interviews with dozens of farmers, packers, truckers, researchers, campaigners and government officials.
…
By one government tally, about 60m tonnes of produce worth about $160bn (£119bn), is wasted by retailers and consumers every year – one third of all foodstuffs.But that is just a “downstream” measure. In more than two dozen interviews, farmers, packers, wholesalers, truckers, food academics and campaigners described the waste that occurs “upstream”: scarred vegetables regularly abandoned in the field to save the expense and labour involved in harvest. Or left to rot in a warehouse because of minor blemishes that do not necessarily affect freshness or quality.
When added to the retail waste, it takes the amount of food lost close to half of all produce grown, experts say. …
It’s not recent, and it’s not just America (2013):
Almost half of the world’s food thrown away, report finds
Figures from the Institution of Mechanical Engineers show as much as 2bn tonnes of food never makes it on to a plate
As much as half of all the food produced in the world – equivalent to 2bn tonnes – ends up as waste every year, engineers warned in a report published on Thursday.
The UK’s Institution of Mechanical Engineers (IMechE) blames the “staggering” new figures in its analysis on unnecessarily strict sell-by dates, buy-one-get-one free and Western consumer demand for cosmetically perfect food, along with “poor engineering and agricultural practices”, inadequate infrastructure and poor storage facilities.
In the face of United Nations predictions that there could be about an extra 3 billion people to feed by the end of the century and growing pressure on the resources needed to produce food, including land, water and energy, the IMechE is calling for urgent action to tackle this waste.
Their report, Global Food; Waste Not, Want Not, found that between 30% and 50% or 1.2-2bn tonnes of food produced around the world never makes it on to a plate. …
This has to change (“Give me spots on my apples – But leave me the birds and the bees – Please!”). And it’s an easy win in the urgent need to reduce the carbon footprint of agriculture and other human activities (see Bill’s excellent series on this).
The Italian intiaitive reported in The Herald yesterday is a great idea and we should adopt it here:
Italy passes law encouraging supermarkets to give unsold food to needy
The Italian government has overwhelmingly backed a new set of laws aimed at cutting down the vast amounts of food wasted in the country each year.
A bill passed by 181 Senators will encourage families to use “doggy bags” to take home unfinished food after eating out and removes hurdles for farmers and supermarkets seeking to donate food to charity.
The goal to cut the five million tonnes of food wasted every year by at least one million tonnes was only opposed by two Senators and abstained from by one when put to a vote in Italy’s upper house on 2 August.
Ministers have said that food waste is costing Italy’s business and households more than €12 billion (£10 billion) a year, or about 1 per cent of GDP. …
Helps the poor, reduces waste, win win. But it’s just a start. We need to massively change attitudes and behaviour to reduce food waste.
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- Stop the cuts before they start – Labour launches new TV adNational and ACT's tax plans don't add up, and that means deep cuts to the public services New Zealanders rely on, says Labour Campaign Chair Megan Woods. ...1 week ago
- Free school lunches paid for with a wealth taxThe Green Party will expand free school lunches and pay for it with a fair tax system. ...1 week ago
- The Pacific Reset & the Blue ContinentThank you for your invitation to speak with you this afternoon about New Zealand Foreign Policy. After offering one or two general thoughts about the nature of foreign policy, the focus today will be the Pacific Reset and why its goals remain even more important today as when they were ...1 week ago
- Release: Huge hole in National’s climate budgetNational’s plan to cut policies that are reducing New Zealand’s climate emissions will result in a huge gap in the country’s emissions budgets and could see Kiwis paying significantly more at the petrol pump as a result of Christopher Luxon hiking the ETS price. ...1 week ago
- Greens would push Labour much further on solar powerLabour’s plan to support rooftop solar is a step in the right direction, but falls short of what could be achieved through the Green Party’s Clean Power Payment. ...1 week ago
- Release: Doubling rooftop solar to reduce bills & emissionsLabour will double the number of houses with rooftop solar in New Zealand, lowering household power bills, reducing emissions and boosting renewable electricity generation. ...1 week ago
- Release: Labour will advance women’s health, careers, and legal protectionsA re-elected Labour Government will continue its proud tradition of advancing women’s health, employment, and legal rights Spokesperson for Women Jan Tinetti said. ...1 week ago
- Green Party confirms plan for five weeks annual leaveSpeaking at the E Tū Election Launch in Auckland today, Green Party co leader Marama Davidson outlined the Green Party’s manifesto commitment to ensure everyone has five weeks of annual leave. ...2 weeks ago
- Release: Labour to keep lifting worker wages and rightsA re-elected Labour Government will protect hard-fought workers’ rights and keep the momentum on wage growth to lift incomes for all New Zealanders, leader Chris Hipkins announced today. ...2 weeks ago
- New Zealand First Party List 2023New Zealand First is proud to announce the Party List for the upcoming 2023 General Election. We have had a great number of applicants and potential candidates moving through the selection process over the past few months. Our final selection for our list proves we have a wide range ...2 weeks ago
- A National/ACT Government would make life miserable for those already worst offOnly a party vote for the Greens will end poverty. ACT’S welfare policy announced today is as cruel as it gets. ...2 weeks ago
- Release: Willis’ resignation call means only one thing – $2 billion more cutsMassive cuts to public service are on the cards as Nicola Willis has promised to resign if she doesn’t deliver tax cuts but is refusing to make the same commitment if she doesn’t raise enough income from her bungled foreign buyer’s tax. ...2 weeks ago
- Release: A faster justice system focused on victimsLabour will help more victims of crime achieve justice faster by introducing a formal class-action regime, modernising consent laws and increasing the use of technology to speed up hearings. ...2 weeks ago
- Release: Gaping hole confirmed in National’s tax planA whopping $2.1 billion dollar hole has been confirmed in National’s tax scheme in a new report released today. ...2 weeks ago
- Labour pledges biggest ever increase to training DoctorsLabour will deliver the largest ever increase to the number of doctors trained each year, adding an additional 335 doctors a year to our health workforce from 2027, Labour Leader Chris Hipkins has announced. ...2 weeks ago
- PREFU Exposes Political PromisesToday’s PREFU has some alarming statistics showing an economy deteriorating and the cost of unaffordable government expenditure, mainly in the 2022 and 2023 budgets. Despite this alarming economic and fiscal picture, political parties are making unaffordable promises, talking about a surplus by 2027, or four years time, all of which ...2 weeks ago
- State of books makes clear case for wealth taxThe case for a wealth tax has never been stronger. ...2 weeks ago
- Release: Labour pledges free cervical screeningIf re-elected Labour will make cervical screening services free to all women and people with a cervix aged 25 – 69 years, delivering better cancer care for over 1.4 million New Zealanders. ...2 weeks ago
- Chris Hipkins sets out 9 key pledges to New ZealandLabour Leader Chris Hipkins has set out nine key pledges to be achieved in his first full term as Prime Minister. ...2 weeks ago
- Labour's Plan 2023Labour is running a positive, forward-looking campaign that's focused on fixing the cost of living, keeping people and communities safe and investing in education, health and housing. ...2 weeks ago
- Te Whānau a Apanui and the Crown initial Deed of Settlement I Kua waitohua e Te Whānau a Apanui me...
Māori: Kua waitohua e Te Whānau a Apanui me te Karauna te Whakaaetanga Whakataunga Kua waitohua e Te Whānau a Apanui me te Karauna i tētahi Whakaaetanga Whakataunga hei whakamihi i ō rātou tāhuhu kerēme Tiriti o Waitangi. E tekau mā rua ngā hapū o roto mai o Te Whānau ...14 hours ago - Plan for 3,000 more public homes by 2025 – regions set to benefitRegions around the country will get significant boosts of public housing in the next two years, as outlined in the latest public housing plan update, released by the Housing Minister, Dr Megan Woods. “We’re delivering the most public homes each year since the Nash government of the 1950s with one ...3 days ago
- Immigration settings updatesJudicial warrant process for out-of-hours compliance visits 2023/24 Recognised Seasonal Employer cap increased by 500 Additional roles for Construction and Infrastructure Sector Agreement More roles added to Green List Three-month extension for onshore Recovery Visa holders The Government has confirmed a number of updates to immigration settings as part of ...4 days ago
- Poroporoaki: Tā Patrick (Patu) Wahanga HohepaTangi ngunguru ana ngā tai ki te wahapū o Hokianga Whakapau Karakia. Tārehu ana ngā pae maunga ki Te Puna o te Ao Marama. Korihi tangi ana ngā manu, kua hinga he kauri nui ki te Wao Nui o Tāne. He Toa. He Pou. He Ahorangi. E papaki tū ana ...4 days ago
- Renewable energy fund to support community resilience40 solar energy systems on community buildings in regions affected by Cyclone Gabrielle and other severe weather events Virtual capability-building hub to support community organisations get projects off the ground Boost for community-level renewable energy projects across the country At least 40 community buildings used to support the emergency response ...4 days ago
- COVID-19 funding returned to GovernmentThe lifting of COVID-19 isolation and mask mandates in August has resulted in a return of almost $50m in savings and recovered contingencies, Minister of Health Dr Ayesha Verrall announced today. Following the revocation of mandates and isolation, specialised COVID-19 telehealth and alternative isolation accommodation are among the operational elements ...4 days ago
- Appointment of District Court JudgeSusie Houghton of Auckland has been appointed as a new District Court Judge, to serve on the Family Court, Attorney-General David Parker said today. Judge Houghton has acted as a lawyer for child for more than 20 years. She has acted on matters relating to the Hague Convention, an international ...5 days ago
- Government invests further in Central Hawke’s Bay resilienceThe Government has today confirmed $2.5 million to fund a replace and upgrade a stopbank to protect the Waipawa Drinking Water Treatment Plant. “As a result of Cyclone Gabrielle, the original stopbank protecting the Waipawa Drinking Water Treatment Plant was destroyed. The plant was operational within 6 weeks of the ...5 days ago
- Govt boost for Hawke’s Bay cyclone waste clean-upAnother $2.1 million to boost capacity to deal with waste left in Cyclone Gabrielle’s wake. Funds for Hastings District Council, Phoenix Contracting and Hog Fuel NZ to increase local waste-processing infrastructure. The Government is beefing up Hawke’s Bay’s Cyclone Gabrielle clean-up capacity with more support dealing with the massive amount ...6 days ago
- Taupō Supercars revs up with Government supportThe future of Supercars events in New Zealand has been secured with new Government support. The Government is getting engines started through the Major Events Fund, a special fund to support high profile events in New Zealand that provide long-term economic, social and cultural benefits. “The Repco Supercars Championship is ...6 days ago
- There is no recession in NZ, economy grows nearly 1 percent in June quarterThe economy has turned a corner with confirmation today New Zealand never was in recession and stronger than expected growth in the June quarter, Finance Minister Grant Robertson said. “The New Zealand economy is doing better than expected,” Grant Robertson said. “It’s continuing to grow, with the latest figures showing ...6 days ago
- Highest legal protection for New Zealand’s largest freshwater springsThe Government has accepted the Environment Court’s recommendation to give special legal protection to New Zealand’s largest freshwater springs, Te Waikoropupū Springs (also known as Pupū Springs), Environment Minister David Parker announced today. “Te Waikoropupū Springs, near Takaka in Golden Bay, have the second clearest water in New Zealand after ...6 days ago
- More support for victims of migrant exploitationTemporary package of funding for accommodation and essential living support for victims of migrant exploitation Exploited migrant workers able to apply for a further Migrant Exploitation Protection Visa (MEPV), giving people more time to find a job Free job search assistance to get people back into work Use of 90-day ...7 days ago
- Strong export boost as NZ economy turns cornerAn export boost is supporting New Zealand’s economy to grow, adding to signs that the economy has turned a corner and is on a stronger footing as we rebuild from Cyclone Gabrielle and lock in the benefits of multiple new trade deals, Finance Minister Grant Robertson says. “The economy is ...7 days ago
- Funding approved for flood resilience work in Te KarakaThe Government has approved $15 million to raise about 200 homes at risk of future flooding. More than half of this is expected to be spent in the Tairāwhiti settlement of Te Karaka, lifting about 100 homes there. “Te Karaka was badly hit during Cyclone Gabrielle when the Waipāoa River ...7 days ago
- Further business support for cyclone-affected regionsThe Government is helping businesses recover from Cyclone Gabrielle and attract more people back into their regions. “Cyclone Gabrielle has caused considerable damage across North Island regions with impacts continuing to be felt by businesses and communities,” Economic Development Minister Barbara Edmonds said. “Building on our earlier business support, this ...7 days ago
- New maintenance facility at Burnham Military Camp underwayDefence Minister Andrew Little has turned the first sod to start construction of a new Maintenance Support Facility (MSF) at Burnham Military Camp today. “This new state-of-art facility replaces Second World War-era buildings and will enable our Defence Force to better maintain and repair equipment,” Andrew Little said. “This Government ...7 days ago
- Foreign Minister to attend United Nations General AssemblyForeign Minister Nanaia Mahuta will represent New Zealand at the 78th Session of the United Nations General Assembly (UNGA) in New York this week, before visiting Washington DC for further Pacific focussed meetings. Nanaia Mahuta will be in New York from Wednesday 20 September, and will participate in UNGA leaders ...1 week ago
- Midwives’ pay equity offer reachedAround 1,700 Te Whatu Ora employed midwives and maternity care assistants will soon vote on a proposed pay equity settlement agreed by Te Whatu Ora, the Midwifery Employee Representation and Advisory Service (MERAS) and New Zealand Nurses Association (NZNO), Minister of Health Dr Ayesha Verrall announced today. “Addressing historical pay ...2 weeks ago
- New Zealand provides support to MoroccoAotearoa New Zealand will provide humanitarian support to those affected by last week’s earthquake in Morocco, Foreign Minister Nanaia Mahuta announced today. “We are making a contribution of $1 million to the International Federation of Red Cross and Red Crescent Societies (IFRC) to help meet humanitarian needs,” Nanaia Mahuta said. ...2 weeks ago
- Government invests in West Coast’s roading resilienceThe Government is investing over $22 million across 18 projects to improve the resilience of roads in the West Coast that have been affected by recent extreme weather, Prime Minister Chris Hipkins confirmed today. A dedicated Transport Resilience Fund has been established for early preventative works to protect the state ...2 weeks ago
- Government invests in Greymouth’s futureThe Government has today confirmed a $2 million grant towards the regeneration of Greymouth’s CBD with construction of a new two-level commercial and public facility. “It will include a visitor facility centred around a new library. Additionally, it will include retail outlets on the ground floor, and both outdoor and ...2 weeks ago
- Nanaia Mahuta to attend PIF Foreign Ministers’ MeetingForeign Minister Nanaia Mahuta will attend the Pacific Islands Forum (PIF) Foreign Ministers’ Meeting, in Suva, Fiji alongside New Zealand’s regional counterparts. “Aotearoa New Zealand is deeply committed to working with our pacific whanau to strengthen our cooperation, and share ways to combat the challenges facing the Blue Pacific Continent,” ...2 weeks ago
- PREFU shows no recession, growing economy, more jobs and wages ahead of inflationEconomy to grow 2.6 percent on average over forecast period Treasury not forecasting a recession Inflation to return to the 1-3 percent target band next year Wages set to grow 4.8 percent a year over forecast period Unemployment to peak below the long-term average Fiscal Rules met - Net debt ...2 weeks ago
- New cancer centre opens in ChristchurchPrime Minister Chris Hipkins and Minister of Health Dr Ayesha Verrall proudly opened the Canterbury Cancer Centre in Christchurch today. The new facility is the first of its kind and was built with $6.5 million of funding from the Government’s Infrastructure Reference Group scheme for shovel-ready projects allocated in 2020. ...2 weeks ago
- Government invests in top of the south’s roading resilience$12 million to improve the resilience of roads in the Nelson, Marlborough and Tasman regions Hope Bypass earmarked in draft Government Policy Statement on land transport $127 million invested in the top of the south’s roads since flooding in 2021 and 2022 The Government is investing over $12 million to ...2 weeks ago
- New Zealanders continue to support the revitalisation of te reo as we celebrate Te Wiki o te Reo Mā...Ko tēnei te wiki e whakanui ana i tō tātou reo rangatira. Ko te wā tuku reo Māori, e whakanuia tahitia ai te reo ahakoa kei hea ake tēnā me tēnā o tātou, ka tū ā te Rātū te 14 o Mahuru, ā te 12 o ngā hāora i te ahiahi. ...2 weeks ago
- New Wildlife Act to better protect native speciesThe 70-year-old Wildlife Act will be replaced with modern, fit-for-purpose legislation to better protect native species and improve biodiversity, Minister of Conservation Willow-Jean Prime has announced. “New species legislation is urgently needed to address New Zealand’s biodiversity crisis,” Willow-Jean Prime said. “More than 4,000 of our native species are currently ...2 weeks ago
- Further safety initiatives for Auckland City CentreCentral and Local Government are today announcing a range of new measures to tackle low-level crime and anti-social behaviour in the Auckland CBD to complement Police scaling up their presence in the area. “Police have an important role to play in preventing and responding to crime, but there is more ...3 weeks ago
- Govt confirms additional support for Enabling Good LivesThe Government has confirmed $73.7 million over the next four years and a further $40.5m in outyears to continue to transform the disability support system, Minister for Disability Issues Priyanca Radhakrishnan has announced. “The Enabling Good Lives (EGL) approach is a framework which guides positive change for disabled people, ...3 weeks ago
- New Zealand gets AAA credit rating from S&PStandard and Poor’s is the latest independent credit rating agency to endorse the Government’s economic management in the face of a deteriorating global economy. S&P affirmed New Zealand’s long term local currency rating at AAA and foreign currency rating at AA+ with a stable outlook. It follows Fitch affirming New ...3 weeks ago
- Appointment of Environment Court JudgeChristchurch barrister Kelvin Reid has been appointed as a Judge of the Environment Court and the District Court, Attorney-General David Parker announced today. Mr Reid has extensive experience in Resource Management Act issues, including water quality throughout the South Island. He was appointed to the Technical Advisory Group advising the ...3 weeks ago
- NZ’s biggest ever emissions reduction project hits milestoneNew Zealand is on track to have greener steel as soon as 2026 with New Zealand Steel’s electric arc furnace project reaching a major milestone today. The Government announced a conditional partnership with New Zealand Steel in May to deliver the country’s largest emissions reduction project to date. Half of ...3 weeks ago
- Poroporoaki: Paki Leslie Māngai NikoraPokia ana te tihi Taiarahia e Hine-Pūkohu-rangi Hotu kau ana te manawa! Horahia ana te whārua o Ruātoki e te kapua pouri Tikaro rawahia ko te whatumanawa! Rere whakamuri kau ana te awa o Hinemataroa Ki te kawe i te rongo ki te mātāpuna i nga pōngaihu Maungapōhatu, tuohu ...3 weeks ago
- NZ election 2023: Exposing National leader Christopher Luxon’s Māori health falsehood in debate
ANALYSIS: By Ella Stewart, RNZ News longform journalist, Te Ao Māori National Party leader Christopher Luxon made claims about health outcomes that were clearly false. Why was he left unchallenged? In the TVNZ leaders’ debate last night, Luxon and Labour’s Chris Hipkins had a testy exchange over Māori healthcare. Hipkins ...4 hours ago - NZ election 2023: Exposing National leader Christopher Luxon’s Māori health falsehood in debateANALYSIS: By Ella Stewart, RNZ News longform journalist, Te Ao Māori National Party leader Christopher Luxon made claims about health outcomes that were clearly false. Why was he left unchallenged? In the TVNZ leaders’ debate last night, Luxon and Labour’s Chris Hipkins had a testy exchange over Māori healthcare. Hipkins ...4 hours ago
- Bid to protect Pacific indigenous knowledge in the global digital spaceA recent webinar hosted by the Pacific Network on Globalisation (PANG) brought together minds from across the region to delve into the intricate issues of the digital economy and data value. The webinar’s focus was clear — shed light on who was shaping the rules of the digital landscape ...5 hours ago
- Dan Andrews leaves office as a titan of Victorian politics – who drove conservatives to distractio...Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Paul Strangio, Professor of Politics, Monash University Daniel Andrews, who has announced he will step down after nearly nine years as premier, leaves office as a titan of Victorian politics. An activist premier, a gifted political communicator and a hard man of ...5 hours ago
- Newsletter: September 26 2023 – Items of interest and importance todayNew Zealand Politics Daily is a collation of the most prominent issues being discussed in New Zealand. It is edited by Dr Bryce Edwards of The Democracy Project. NZ Politics Daily: 26 September 2023 NEWSHUB-REID RESEARCH POLL Jenna Lynch (Newshub): Newshub-Reid Research poll: NZ First in powerful position as ACT support crumbles, ...6 hours ago
- Election 2023 updates: All the latest developments on 26 September
Tonight's political debate focused on the top priorities for Māori voters - check out RNZ's updates from the kaupapa Māori debate. ...6 hours ago - Keith Rankin Chart Analysis – Economic Growth per Capita: New Zealand in ContextAnalysis by Keith Rankin. Chart by Keith Rankin. Chart by Keith Rankin. The principal measure of economic success in the mainstream narrative is economic growth. The pointy heads associated with that narrative will correctly point out that its economic growth per capita that matters, and which serves as a crude ...6 hours ago
- Bryce Edwards’ Political Roundup: The Vested interests shaping National Party policiesAnalysis by Dr Bryce Edwards. Political scientist, Dr Bryce Edwards. As the National Party gets closer to government, lobbyists and business interests will be lining up for influence and to get policies adopted. It’s therefore in the public interest to have much more scrutiny and transparency about potential conflicts of ...6 hours ago
- National says traffic light policy for beneficiaries driven by 'love'National says its new benefit sanctions policy would target the kind of person who shows up to a job interview in their pyjamas, not struggling young families. ...7 hours ago
- NEW POLL: Voters torn in Auckland Central electorate
A new Taxpayers’ Union – Curia poll in the Auckland Central Electorate has voters undecided between Greens incumbent Chlöe Swarbrick (polling at 26% of voters) and National candidate Mahesh Muralidhar (polling at 24%) - a statistical tie when accounting ...7 hours ago - The Albanese government blew its shot at setting a historic new unemployment targetSource: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Peter Martin, Visiting Fellow, Crawford School of Public Policy, Australian National University Shutterstock Treasurer Jim Chalmers says the federal government’s employment white paper is “ambitious”. I’m not convinced. A clearly ambitious statement would have specified a target for unemployment, ideally one ...9 hours ago
- National's Muralidhar nipping at Swarbrick's heels in Auckland central electorate pollWith a large undecided vote it's looking like a very close race between the pair, Labour's Oscar Sims trailing a distant 12 points behind Muralidhar. ...9 hours ago
- New poll puts Auckland Central on a knife edge
Chlöe Swarbrick has a battle on her hands to retain Auckland Central, with a new poll by Curia for the Taxpayers’ Union putting the Green MP just a couple of percentage points ahead of National candidate Mahesh Muralidhar. Swarbrick, whose victory in the high-profile seat was one of the most ...9 hours ago - Dan Andrews quits after nine years as premier of VictoriaSource: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Michelle Grattan, Professorial Fellow, University of Canberra Dan Andrews has announced he is quitting, after nine years as premier and three election wins. Andrews’ surprise announcement came early Tuesday afternoon. He said his resignation would take effect at 5pm Wednesday. ...11 hours ago
- Is it time for Australia to introduce a national skills passport?Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Pi-Shen Seet, Professor of Entrepreneurship and Innovation, Edith Cowan University Antoni Shkraba/Pexels As part of the new employment white paper, the federal government has announced it is thinking seriously about a national skills passport. It has set aside A$9.1 ...11 hours ago
- NZ election 2023: Green Party pledges to double Best Start paymentRNZ News New Zealand’s Green Party says it will double the Best Start payment from $69 a week to $140 — and it will also make it available for all children under three years. Greens co-leader Marama Davidson announced the policy today, saying it is part of a “fully costed ...11 hours ago
- Money for everything – and your kids for free
The Green Party is breaking its centrepiece income guarantee policy into constituent parts and re-announcing them to build on momentum in the polls. Tim Murphy reports. Parents of every child aged up to 3 will be eligible for double-sized Best Start payments under a Greens policy aimed at lifting cost ...11 hours ago - Labour MPs save themselves in face of bad polling
Chris Hipkins is in damage control as his MPs get nervous about their own political futures in the face of bad polling. Left untreated, it could be the start of a caucus splintering, writes political editor Jo Moir The morning had started out well for Chris Hipkins. He'd announced Labour's ...11 hours ago - The many reviews of the public service miss one vital problem – the language used to communicate i...Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Christiane Gerblinger, Visiting Fellow, Australian National Centre for the Public Awareness of Science, Australian National University Shutterstock Australia’s public service is no stranger to reform. In the past nine years, it has undergone three significant reviews of its policy advising ...11 hours ago
- Public Vote With Their Conscience – And Their Stomachs...11 hours ago
- West Coast-Tasman must stop regional decline, election candidates sayPutting a stop to regional decline was a prevailing theme delivered by West Coast-Tasman's hopeful candidates during an election debate. ...12 hours ago
- Muscle, wood, coal, oil: what earlier energy transitions tell us about renewablesSource: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Liz Conor, ARC Future Fellow, La Trobe University Child coal miners, Pennsylvania, 1911 Lewis Wickes Hines/Wikimedia Commons In 2022, the burning of fossil fuels provided 82% of the world’s energy. In 2000, it was 87%. Even as renewables have undergone tremendous growth, ...12 hours ago
- Muscle, wood, coal, oil: what earlier energy transitions tell us about renewablesSource: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Liz Conor, ARC Future Fellow, La Trobe University Child coal miners, Pennsylvania, 1911 Lewis Wickes Hines/Wikimedia Commons In 2022, the burning of fossil fuels provided 82% of the world’s energy. In 2000, it was 87%. Even as renewables have undergone tremendous growth, ...12 hours ago
- Groans and giggles at the TVNZ Young Voters’ DebateSix hopeful candidates from parties likely to make it into New Zealand’s next parliament debated the issues at front of mind for young voters. Charlotte Muru-Lanning reports from the studio. “Feel free to laugh and to clap,” John Campbell told the audience jovially just before the debate kicked off. There ...12 hours ago
- From stock markets to brain scans, new research harmonises hundreds of scientific methods to underst...Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Ben Fulcher, Senior Lecturer, School of Physics, University of Sydney Shutterstock Complexity is all around us, from the daily fluctuations of financial markets to the intricate web of neurons in our brains. Understanding how the different components of these ...12 hours ago
- From stock markets to brain scans, new research harmonises hundreds of scientific methods to underst...Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Ben Fulcher, Senior Lecturer, School of Physics, University of Sydney Shutterstock Complexity is all around us, from the daily fluctuations of financial markets to the intricate web of neurons in our brains. Understanding how the different components of these ...12 hours ago
- What do people think about when they go to sleep?Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Melinda Jackson, Associate Professor at Turner Institute for Brain and Mental Health, School of Psychological Sciences, Monash University Shutterstock You’re lying in bed, trying to fall asleep but the racing thoughts won’t stop. Instead, your brain is busy making detailed ...13 hours ago
- Election 2023: The health policies in two minutesThe health system has had a hell of a time in the past few years. So what do the different parties say they’ll do about it? Policy.nz has the thorough version, and we’ve got the whistle-stop tour. See more from our policy in two minutes series here. In 2022 the current ...13 hours ago
- First-time eligible voters weigh in on the pressure to decideMore young people are turning out to vote each election, but their numbers still lag far behind the country's older voters. ...13 hours ago
- Luxon’s red light for beneficiaries
National says its new sanction system for people on Jobseeker support will break a cycle of dependence – but its political opponents are calling it heartless National Party leader Christopher Luxon appeared in a West Auckland strawberry field this morning to announce stricter obligations for people on Jobseeker support. Phil ...13 hours ago - Election 2023: NZ First announces time limit for Jobseeker beneficiariesNew Zealand First has proposed a two-year cap on the length of time a person can receive the Jobseeker benefit over their lifetime. ...14 hours ago
- No gavels, no hearsay and lots of drinking: a law expert ranks legal dramas by their accuracySource: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Dale Mitchell, Lecturer in Law, University of the Sunshine Coast IMDB From Elle Woods in Legally Blonde to Jennifer Walters in She-Hulk, Atticus Finch in To Kill a Mockingbird to Denny Crane in Boston Legal, our popular culture is often ...14 hours ago
- They sent kisses: An essay from Henrietta Bollinger’s ArticulationsAn excerpt from Henrietta Bollinger’s debut collection of essays, recently published by Tender Press. (A note that the moments where some words are represented by XXXXX are intentional.) I am still learning how to consciously talk about seeing sex workers. I want to find a way to share it and ...14 hours ago
- “The Deficit Diaries: Six Years Of Red” Unveils Labour’s Fiscal MiscalculationsWellington ( Tuesday, 26 September 2023 ) - As we approach the 2023 election, New Zealanders must learn from the overly optimistic projections presented by Labour before the 2017 election. New Zealand cannot afford a repeat of this fiscal recklessness. ...14 hours ago
- Election 2023: ACT promises to scrap several climate change policiesACT Party leader David Seymour says his party will stop what he says is wasteful climate change spending. ...14 hours ago
- Election 2023: ACT promises to scrap several climate change policiesACT Party leader David Seymour says his party will stop what he says is wasteful climate change spending. ...14 hours ago
- What’s going to happen to the famous Mangaweka plane?14 hours ago
- Greens would double best start, make it universal for young childrenThe Greens say their new policy of doubling the Best Start payment and extending it for every child under three years would end child poverty in New Zealand. “Parents all over the country are being forced to cut back on food to pay the bills,” said co-leader Marama Davidson. “Our ...15 hours ago
- Green Party pledges to double Best Start payment, extend to all under threeThe Green Party says it will double the Best Start payment from $69 a week to $140; it will also make it available for all children under three years. ...15 hours ago
- Caution RNZ – Your Bilious Bias Is ShowingWhen RNZ first began it was with the intention that there would be an honest and sole broadcaster in which the people of New Zealand could have confidence in what they were hearing was neutral, factual, and professional. Sadly, that worthy reputation ...15 hours ago
- NZFirst Policy Announcement: Capped Time-period For Job Seeker BeneficiariesNew Zealand First today is announcing a policy on adjusting the rules and restrictions around access to the Job Seeker Benefit. New Zealand First’s policy is to introduce a capped time-period for any person to access the Job Seeker Benefit during their ...15 hours ago
- Labour’s Pharmac Policy A PlaceboLabour has just announced a policy to increase Pharmac funding by $1billion over four years to fund additional medicines. With the current Pharmac budget of $1.2billion per year and needing a further $213million, by Minister Verrall’s own admission, ...15 hours ago
- The clear message across seven pollstersThe rationale for Christopher Luxon’s late ruling-in of New Zealand First is clear enough at a glance across the latest numbers from the seven polling companies that are surveying in the leadup to the election. In six of the seven, Winston Peters’ party is at or above the 5% threshold, ...15 hours ago
- 7 years, billions of kilometres, a handful of dust: NASA just brought back the largest-ever asteroid...Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Eleanor K. Sansom, Research Associate, Curtin University NASA After a journey of billions of kilometres, NASA’s OSIRIS-REx mission has culminated in a small black capsule blazing through the sky before touching down in the Utah desert. Inside is likely ...16 hours ago
- Handing Climate Policy To Appointed Bureaucrats Is Undemocratic And IneffectiveResponding to Labour’s promise to hand control over carbon pricing under the Emissions Trading Scheme to the Climate Change Commission, Taxpayers’ Union Deputy Campaigns Manager, Connor Molloy, said: “Handing control of carbon pricing away to faceless ...16 hours ago
- Friendship ended with Sky Sport. Now Rabbitholebd Sports is my best friendHow to watch the Black Caps vs Bangladesh for free – and why YouTube is actually the best live sports streaming platform. New Zealand Cricket nerds hoping to watch the first match of the Black Caps’ pre-World Cup ODI series against Bangladesh last week were out of luck – not ...16 hours ago
- Taxpayers’ Union Welcomes National’s Sanction Regime On The Job-Seeker BenefitTaxpayers’ Union welcomes National’s sanction regime on the Job-Seeker Benefit Responding to National’s proposed changes to the Job-Seeker benefit scheme, Taxpayers’ Union National Campaigns Manager, Callum Purves, said: “The current job-seeker ...16 hours ago
- Green List Good News, But Don’t Stop There...16 hours ago
- PNG’s Chief Censor warns over ‘fake nudes’ harassment of young girlsBy Marjorie Finkeo in Port Moresby The rise in social media platforms uploading naked pictures of women and girls has come to the attention of the Censorship Board in Papua New Guinea with Chief Censor Jim Abani warning about the dangers. In what many have termed as cyber bullying, a ...17 hours ago
- Labour promises to ‘turbocharge’ medicine fundingLabour would invest over $1 billion in new funding at Pharmac if reelected, leader Chris Hipkins has promised. It will mean $181 million of funding a year from 2024/25, along with an extra $50 million for new treatments in the first year, rising to $100 million a year in 2026/2027. ...17 hours ago
- Labour promises $1b boost to Pharmac over four yearsAiming to fund more medicines, Labour leader Chris Hipkins has announced over $1 billion of new funding for Pharmac, if re-elected. ...17 hours ago
- Voting Starts Soon In The 2023 General ElectionVoting in the 2023 General Election will be underway soon, with overseas voting starting tomorrow Wednesday 27 September and voting places opening in New Zealand next Monday 2 October. Overseas voting Voters who are overseas can vote from Wednesday ...17 hours ago
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I didn’t realize it was so bad. Makes a mockery of the ‘not enough food, we can’t feed everybody’ brigade. I despair for the hunan race sometimes.
Agreed on all.
The system always needed ‘disposable’ people in order to work. It’s taken different forms over the ages, from human sacrifice, slavery, institutionalised warfare, debt and servitude. But it’s always there as part of the background of our lives and most of the time we stop noticing it.
Time to notice it now!
which political party or economic force is willing to restructure the economy in a way which does away with treating people as disposable?
To do that, you would have to go directly against the short term economic interests of the top 1% to 2%, and especially of the top 0.1%.
Hmmm, humans not being disposable and long-term policy against the interests of the wealthy elite… I swear, it’s like I’m at a Green Party meeting. 😛
the parasitic elite is unsustainable, it’s their system, a different model is possible, but it will be a struggle to get there.
Capitalism and it’s huge amount of waste strike again. Can’t maintain prices if there’s an excess of food available.
Artificial scarcity is needed to perpetuate economic crimes against the poor. They are externalities in the quest for profit.
No rush to solve the housing crisis in Auckland either. Empty green belts in Christchurch help to prop up inner city land values.
Privatised power companies, telcos, and Aussie banks are making record profits though.
Just picking up on one part of this discussion: one way to help in meeting “the urgent need to reduce the carbon footprint of agriculture and other human activities” is to opt out of raising animals for food production. Agriculture is a terrible use of land, water, space, soil, nutrient and other resources; is very polluting and has an awful carbon footprint. It’s also cruel. We don’t need to do it.
http://www.onegreenplanet.org/animalsandnature/facts-on-animal-farming-and-the-environment/
http://foodtank.com/news/2013/12/why-meat-eats-resources
http://www.cowspiracy.com/facts/
http://science.time.com/2013/12/16/the-triple-whopper-environmental-impact-of-global-meat-production/
Note, I’ve included the report from Time (which links on to a second report on the environmental impacts of dairy consumption) to show that even those who argue that animal farming needs to be more “efficient” (cruel) agree that the only real way to control the environmental effects of agriculture is for people to eat less meat.
Of course, more people becoming vegetarian or vegan won’t stop people wanting cosmetically perfect fruit, but it would be another way of decreasing environmental and social harms caused by attitudes to food, and it’s an issue that each person reading this site can actually do something meaningful about.
Been a vegetarian over half of my life and have never regretted it. Not only is being vegetarian a simpler way of life, it can be more economical too. Some of my meat eating friends that have growing families are having to have meatless days during the week, because they are finding the cost of meat too expensive.
Yes, this is a great initiative, was just thinking about this the other day. I hate food wastage, and there is a hell of lot of that going on in NZ. I would like to see a similar law that Italy has passed, introduced here.
Food is cheaper now than it has ever been.
Food in NZ is very expensive Rocco Siffredi, what makes you think food is cheaper now than it has ever been? A lot of people trying to make their dollars stretch at the supermarket may disagree with you.
Rocco food would including healthy options be even more affordable without the 15% GST levy that goes up to give the rich more of their money back because they need it.
Yeah attitudes need too change in NZ about a lot of things including the myth that having two main supermarket companies in a deregulated enviroment somehow makes food even cheaper which is bullshit.
At least the Italians make a decision and get on with it ,we would still be arguing the merits in 5 years time wasting this precious resource by another million tonnes in the meantime.
Might seem cheap because of cheap labour. For instance: bananas.
I’m glad that story is in the mainstream at the moment. Maybe it might help connect the dots for a few of us
LOL we live in hope !