Archive for March, 2007

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  Nature, conservationists and environmentalists - by frog

  
  
  
  We don’t often see debates like this in New Zealand. Dave Foreman was the founder of the radical environmental movement Earth First!. He now heads The Rewilding Institute. In a recent article Dave argues that the Conservation Movement Must Return To Roots, stating that nature conservationists are different birds than environmentalists, who work to protect [...] read more
  March 29, 2007 5:51 pm - 23 Comments
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  Just who is Ruby? - by frog

  
  
  
  For your edification – and as a slight aside from the battle royale currently raging – Frog is keen to comment on the red herrings (or should that be roll mops) about Sweden that are still thriving in the media and blogosphere. Frog feels it’s only fair to respond to the lone rantings of one [...] read more
  March 29, 2007 5:15 pm - 116 Comments
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  Six metres of sea level rise is kinda serious - by Russel Norman

  
  
  
  A new story suggests that the Amundsen Sea Embayment in Antarctica is melting a lot quicker than anyone previously realised. If it goes, that’s six metres of sea level rise apparently. From The Australian: “Surprisingly rapid changes” were occurring in the Antarctica’s Amundsen Sea Embayment, which faces the southern Pacific Ocean, polar ice experts said [...] read more
  March 29, 2007 4:48 pm - 63 Comments
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  Public forum on electrifying Auckland’s rail – Monday - by Russel Norman

  
  
  
  The Greens have oranised a public forum on electrification of the Auckland rail network. Time is of the essence. ARTA has to make a decision soon about whether to order large numbers of electric or diesel rail units. Electrify NOW! Monday 2nd April 2007 7:30pm Methodist Mission Hall 370 Queen Street Auckland (opposite the Town [...] read more
  March 29, 2007 9:12 am - 13 Comments
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  Comparing rail, road and bus - by Russel Norman

  
  
  
  From the Auckland Regional Transport Authority Rail Development Plan 2006. Preface by Brian Roche, ARTA Chair: South of the Waitemata Harbour, rail alone has the capability to rapidly move large numbers of people, and only by providing Auckland with a high-quality, high-frequency rail service will ARTA achieve the objective of freeing up motorways and intensifying [...] read more
  March 28, 2007 10:55 pm - 12 Comments
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  Fiddling the figures for old fashioned social democracy - by Russel Norman

  
  
  
  Another day in the House, another attempt to get some straight answers out of the Labour Party as to why they won’t partially fund the electrification of the Auckland rail network. Sorry if this bores some people but ARTA has to make a decision in the very near future to buy either electric or diesel [...] read more
  March 28, 2007 8:25 pm - 11 Comments
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  Europe’s biodiesel industry in crisis while Monbiot calls for a moratorium - by frog

  
  
  
  Planet Ark reports that Europe’s biodiesel industry is facing trying times with over-capacity, falling retail sales and a new biofuel tax to be implemented in Germany. Germany, the EU’s largest biodiesel producer is facing a crisis with sales at petrol pumps currently down by about 30 to 40 percent compared to December 2006, and Petra [...] read more
  March 28, 2007 6:39 pm - 6 Comments
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  Is GE killing bees? - by Russel Norman

  
  
  
  An interesting story in Spiegel Online suggesting that the collapse on bee numbers being experienced in the US and to some extent in Germany is due to GE crops weakening the bees and making them more vulnerable to infection. read more
  March 27, 2007 11:44 pm - 9 Comments
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  The big question - by Russel Norman

  
  
  
  Jeanette decided to put the big question to Michael Cullen in the House today. He decided to avoid answering it, which is understandable because it’s a scary question but it can’t be avoided forever: Jeanette Fitzsimons: When the [Finance] Minister’s goal of sustained economic growth runs into conflict with the Prime Minister’s goal of becoming [...] read more
  March 27, 2007 11:10 pm - 13 Comments
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  NSW Greens results - by Russel Norman

  
  
  
  The NSW Greens did pretty well. 9% of the primary vote across the state upper and lower houses. It looks like they’ll get two more members of the state upper house, bringing their number to four, but no members of the state lower house. Without a proportional system there isn’t much democracy. In Marrickville (Sydney [...] read more
  March 27, 2007 4:54 pm - 4 Comments
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  Organic kiwifruit healthier - by Russel Norman

  
  
  
  Here’s a story to make the organic food grower and consumer smile. Research in California found that organic kiwifruit had significantly higher levels of Vit C and polyphenols (anti-oxidants) in them. All the main mineral constituents were more concentrated in the organic kiwi fruit, which also had higher asorbic acid (vitamin C) and total polyphenol [...] read more
  March 26, 2007 11:00 pm - 20 Comments
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  An elegant solution - by Russel Norman

  
  
  
  Well we’ve been working on it for some time and today Jeanette released our updated climate change policy framework. There is also the slideshow available. At the heart of the policy framework is an elegant solution to the problem of how best to put a price on greenhouse emissions and a revenue recycling mechanism. Basically [...] read more
  March 26, 2007 5:11 pm - 16 Comments
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  Hoki not so sustainable - by Russel Norman

  
  
  
  A good piece in today’s Sunday Star Times by Kim Knight about the difficulties being faced by the Hoki fishery in renewing its Marine Stewardship Council accreditation as a sustainable fishery. The Hoki fishery received its accreditation in 2001 against the opposition of Forest and Bird because of overfishing and killing of albatrosses and furseals. [...] read more
  March 25, 2007 1:06 pm - 19 Comments
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  Transit – deceit, incompetence or something else? - by Russel Norman

  
  
  
  During the long drawn out battle to build the Bypass through some really nice parts of Wellington, Transit gave sworn evidence to the Environment Court that the Bypass would save seven to nine minutes for travellers at peak time. This claim was vital both to their case in the Environment Court and their benefit to [...] read more
  March 24, 2007 5:47 pm - 25 Comments
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  Greens polling 10% in NSW - by Russel Norman

  
  
  
  New South Wales is going to the polls tomorrow with the Labor Government looking very likely to win. But the Greens are polling well – 10% in the Herald/ACNeilsen poll this morning – which is good news. This is in spite of attacks by the Sydney Anglican diocese on the Greens because of the Greens’ [...] read more
  March 23, 2007 1:56 pm - 11 Comments

• A carbon-neutral man is hard to find - by Peter Davis

  
  
  
  It’s official: men are screwing the planet more than women are, but don’t worry, women can fix it thanks to a nifty new credit card which means you can be carbon-neutral as you shop – the more you spend, the less you cost the planet. read more
  March 23, 2007 1:13 pm - 31 Comments
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  100% pure, woof woof - by Russel Norman

  
  
  
  For those of you who missed it, a fortnight ago there was a toxic bloom in a Canterbury river, the Ashley, that poisoned a dog that ate some of it. It was the same as the one that killed several dogs when they ate it from the Hutt River last year. I doubt that the [...] read more
  March 23, 2007 9:56 am - 9 Comments
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  Next time you’re asked, exaggerate - by Russel Norman

  
  
  
  If you are approached on a bus or train by a person from Land Transport NZ wearing an officially approved Transit NZ frown of disapproval for smelly public transport users, and asked how much you value your (clearly worthless) time while you’re sitting on aforementioned bus or train on your way to work, please say [...] read more
  March 22, 2007 4:01 pm - 47 Comments
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  Things not discussed part 22 - by Russel Norman

  
  
  
  Adding to the list of things not discussed at the meeting between Helen Clark and George W Bush is the role of the Bush administration in pressuring climate scientists to doctor their reports to make the evidence of climate change look more uncertain. Documents turned over to a US House Committee  on Oversight and Government [...] read more
  March 22, 2007 1:59 pm - 14 Comments
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  An open cheque book to Fulton Hogan - by Russel Norman

  
  
  
  Jeanette released yesterday an OIA that shows that the Government has secretly adopted a new method of funding roads, a method which is probably not legal and is biased in favour of new state highways. They used this method with their extra $1.5 billion road spendup in the last budget. The new method is that [...] read more
  March 21, 2007 11:28 am - 26 Comments