Archive for May, 2006

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  More conservatives claiming green agenda - by frog

  
  
  
  A couple of weeks ago it was Nick Smith making speeches to the National Party about how to win over Green voters; now it appears that the British Conservative Party has decided to make climate change a major focus. Tory Leader David Cameron has pledged to replace his car with a hybrid and “put Britain [...] read more
  May 31, 2006 12:27 pm - 34 Comments
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  Green games - by frog

  
  
  
  Sports fans will be getting excited about the upcoming Soccer World Cup, which starts next month, and here’s some good news about the Cup: host nation Germany is hoping to make it a “Green” Cup by making it as carbon neutral as possible. Perhaps the organisers of the Beijing 2008 Olympics could take a leaf [...] read more
  May 30, 2006 11:58 am - 5 Comments
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  New temporary police uniforms - by frog

  
  
  
  The Police have unveiled a new uniform for their temporary officers, after controversy earlier this month when it was revealed that temporary civilian officers were wearing full uniform. It’s great news that members of the public will be now be able to differentiate real officers from temporary ones, and this should provide considerable protection against [...] read more
  May 30, 2006 10:52 am - 46 Comments
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  Agenda video online - by frog

  
  
  
  Video from Saturday’s Agenda programme, which was a special on the Green Party co-leadership, is available on the programme’s website, as is a transcript of the show, for those without a broadband connection. It was an interesting show. The four candidates answered questions from the host, Lisa Owen, a small studio audience, and from callers [...] read more
  May 29, 2006 10:05 am - 10 Comments
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  Cullen’s inadequate responses on roading - by frog

  
  
  
  As reported this morning, Jeanette and Keith asked a series of questions in the House yesterday, attempting to pin Finance Minister Michael Cullen down on exactly how he justifies the massive increase in roading funding in last week’s budget. His answers were decidedly unsatisfactory, for example: JEANETTE FITZSIMONS (Co-Leader-Green) to the Minister of Finance: Is [...] read more
  May 24, 2006 11:52 am - 16 Comments
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  Global warming getting faster and faster - by frog

  
  
  
  National Radio this morning had this report on two new studies which reveal that the pace of global warming will probably be much faster than previous estimates. The reason = as the planet warms, a natural consequence of the higher temperatures is that more CO2 is released from natural eco-systems, forests, soil etc. This CO2 [...] read more
  May 24, 2006 9:03 am - 24 Comments
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  It’s only what she’s said all along… - by frog

  
  
  
  A number of media outlets today have run stories about Sue B’s Section 59 Crimes Act Repeal Bill, suggesting that her recent comment that it may be a possible to clarify in the wording of the Bill that it is not intended to criminalise parents who give their children a light smack is some kind [...] read more
  May 23, 2006 4:55 pm - 14 Comments
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  National billboards Mark 2. - by frog

  
  
  
  The site which allowed members of the public to make their own versions of the National party’s infamous election billboards last year no longer exists – which is a shame, as I was hoping to have the chance to play around with the new version. [EDIT: I did initially post my own version, but upon [...] read more
  May 23, 2006 2:11 pm - 20 Comments
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  Learn about coal! - by frog

  
  
  
  The use of cute kids to sell products or ideas is questionable at the best of times, but I think this has to be the worst example of it I have ever seen. Watch as all-American cuties explain how the magic of coal can save America from the baddies and save the environment! Is there [...] read more
  May 18, 2006 1:52 pm - 9 Comments
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  President Gore - by frog

  
  
  
  By now you have probably seen or read Stephen Colbert’s speech from the White House Correspondents Association Dinner (if you haven’t, you really should). For a tasty accompaniment, here’s a vision of what might have been – Al Gore delivering a faux Presidential address on Saturday Night Live as though he had been elected in [...] read more
  May 17, 2006 2:51 pm - 5 Comments
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  Climate Science domains battle it out - by frog

  
  
  
  In response to the website of the newly-formed Climate Science Coalition, climatescience.org.nz, Greenpeace have launched climatescience.co.nz, which not surprisingly, sets out the case that climate change is occurring and is caused by humans. The coalition obviously weren’t savvy enough to do what many other groups do and register similar domain names to their own and [...] read more
  May 17, 2006 1:27 pm - 53 Comments
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  Aquaflow who? - by frog

  
  
  
  A couple of users have now pointed me to this press release, in which a Marlborough-based company claims to have produced the world’s first bio-diesel from algae growing in sewerage. The company, Aquaflow Bionomic Corporation, believe they can produce 1 million litres of bio-diesel per year, which would be hugely significant. It sounds too good [...] read more
  May 16, 2006 5:01 pm - 14 Comments
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  More gross school lunches - by frog

  
  
  
  Sue K today released the results of the second Green Party School Food Survey, which paints a pretty scary picture of the food for sale to kids at school tuckshops – high fat, high sugar foods are the cheapest, most common staples. Sarah Crawford, an independent dietition, reviewed the results of the survey, calling them [...] read more
  May 16, 2006 2:58 pm - 8 Comments
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  A lesson in eco-nomics - by frog

  
  
  
  I blogged the other day with some links to a couple of stories about attempts to link environmental outcomes with economic incentives. This story from the Guardian yesterday illustrates how important it is that such attempts are done properly if they are to have the desired effect. In sum, the EU’s carbon trading regime is [...] read more
  May 16, 2006 1:59 pm - 6 Comments
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  Buy Kiwi Made gets its bite - by frog

  
  
  
  Sue B, in conjunction with Economic Development Minister Trevor Mallard, this morning announced $11.5 million of Budget funding for the Greens’ Buy Kiwi Made campaign, which is exciting news. The announcement has been greeted with lots of support, especially from Unions, and some disjointed and actually quite humourous dissent. I think Rodney should stick to [...] read more
  May 15, 2006 4:09 pm - 11 Comments
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  Environmentally trendy - by frog

  
  
  
  Further to the last post, in which the National Party discovered that New Zealanders care deeply about the environment and decided to use this fact to start poaching votes from the Greens, evidence of just how strongly we feel about environmental issues is available online using Google‘s new toy, Google Trends, which provides information about [...] read more
  May 15, 2006 1:53 pm - 5 Comments
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  National out to poach Green vote - by frog

  
  
  
  National’s Environment Spokesperson Nick Smith delivered an interesting speech at the party’s Lower North Island Regional Conference over the weekend on his “Bluegreen vision for NZ”. Sample quote: The mechanics of MMP make the balance of power very sensitive to the Green vote. The Greens only just scraped back into Parliament with 5.3% of the [...] read more
  May 15, 2006 9:37 am - 15 Comments
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  Whale meat on the menu for school lunches? - by frog

  
  
  
  The Herald this morning ran the disturbing story that a Japanese company is seeking to distribute whale meat from ‘scientific’ whale hunts to Japanese schools, hospitals and family-oriented restaurants in order to ‘whet the appetite’ of Japanese consumers for whale meat. This follows previous stories pointing out that whale meat often languishes in stockpiles in [...] read more
  May 11, 2006 2:19 pm - 3 Comments
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  Fuel saver website - by frog

  
  
  
  Transport Safety and Associate Environment Minister Harry Duynhoven has launched a new website aimed at helping motorists to be more fuel efficient. Online at www.fuelsaver.govt.nz, it allows you to calculate your car’s fuel efficiency and to see how your weekly/monthly/yearly petrol cost can be reduced by making particular changes, like not using air conditioning or [...] read more
  May 11, 2006 1:00 pm - 13 Comments
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  Eco-nomics - by frog

  
  
  
  Turn Down the Heat, the Green Party’s paper of proposals to address climate change in New Zealand, which was launched by Jeanette at the end of March, contains a number of measures which are aimed at attaching an economic incentive to reducing greenhouse gas emissions. If there is an economic cost as well as an [...] read more
  May 11, 2006 11:26 am - 4 Comments