“the question of whether you can delink GDP growth from growth in resource use is the question that defines our age.”

Like that. Although I’m familiar with the background to each of the elements of that sentence, I’d not managed to put it into such a succinct form. Nice.

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Suggest a question directly to the Prime Minister along the lines of “Is electrification of the Auckland rail network in line with the Labour party stance towards carbon neutrality?” Follow up with a commitment on timeframe and funding. And while at it running a railline along the SH20 extension as it was intended to be 50 years ago.

You need to keep putting the Labour party on the spot. They spouted being carbon neutral as a target, so keep asking questions.

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Alistair: I agree totally!

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To put sustainability on the agenda in a very concrete way, I think we should be pushing the government on how they plan to deal with oil at $US100 a barrel.

Most likely that’s no more than six months away. At the longest, three to five years away, but that’s really wildly optimistic.

Forcing them to do the sums on that, will demonstrate how fragile and unsustainable the economy is, and how urgent it is to get it moving in a truly sustainable direction. Business as usual will no longer be an option, anyway.

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i hope you will have some back-up/follow-up questions..?

as i live-blog questiontime…i sorta notice the greens need to get up to speed in the ‘follow-up’ question-area..

eh..?

phil(whoar.co.nz)

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Gerrit, totally agree with Rod Oram and we’re having another go at it in the house today. We abstain on confidence and supply and do everything in our power to get the dinosaurs to see sense on public transport and in particular the electrification of the Auckland rail network.

But Cullen plus Winston plus Dunne equals cars cars cars. I have no hope of bringing Peters and Dunne into the twenty first century which leaves us with Labour, in the current government. I’m always open to suggestions as to how we can push the Labour Party into the 21st century!

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…maybe like a baby crying itself to sleep: the problem is gone in the morning.

compared with drinking yourself to sleep and waking up with a monster hangover. it can only be dealt with by going back to sleep…

mike

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“And in the process we will quite possibly save the market system from its natural tendency to destroy or consume all resources leading to its own demise as well as the demise of the planet and all of us living on it.”

A bit like trying to find a way to keep your body alive while at the same time trying to save the cancer that’s killing it.

- Sam Buchanan

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russel

in “be[ing] fair to the good doctor” i think you’ve acknowledged the point that many larger corporates are at. they’re using efficiencies and consumer appeal as motivators for driving cleaner production.

its looking more and more likely that big biz will have a lot more impact than govt action. especially if no coherent global policy is operative until 2013. check my latest post for examples (frog moderation wont let me link).

gdp and emissions are not decoupled and (as you/i have posted/commented) they’re a long way from it. at the moment improving the gdp-emissions ratio is a likely first step.

for gdp/energy intensities, the other week i threw a few numbers around in the context of nz and costa rica both wishing to become carbon neutral: look for miss costa rica (again, i cant link)

more efficient gdp units are old-skool thinking but its still better than doing nothing.

cheers
mike

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russel

in “be[ing] fair to the good doctor” i think you’ve acknowledged the point that many larger corporates are at. they’re using efficiencies and consumer appeal as motivators for driving cleaner production.

this piece of shameless self promotion will illustrate:
http://shoppingfix.blogspot.com/2007/03/my-ideal-job.html

its looking more and more likely that big biz will have a lot more impact than govt action. especially if no coherent global policy is operative until 2013.

gdp and emissions are not decoupled and (as you/i have posted/commented) they’re a long way from it. at the moment improving the gdp-emissions ratio is a likely first step.

for gdp/energy intensities, the other week i threw a few numbers around in the context of nz and costa rica both wishing to become carbon neutral:
http://shoppingfix.blogspot.com/2007/03/stolen-thunder.html

more efficient gdp units are old-skool thinking but its still better than doing nothing.

cheers
mike

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Katie

“when it comes to re-interpreting economic paradigms for the 21st century and beyond, that is.”

Good god woman, what DOES all that actually mean?, and where is the world “wellness”, how can you expect anybody to pretend to understand all that new age management speak if you do not use the latests phrases.

In future please adhere to these rules:
1 Always use the phrase “going forward” at least once in every post.
2 Read same for “Wellness”
3 Idea’s are not to be discussed any longer they are to be “socialised”
4 I like the use of the word paradigm, keep it up.

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Perhaps this article from Rod Oram shows what is wrong with the Labour party in regards planning for public transport.

http://www.stuff.co.nz/4005138a1865.html

How the Greens can keep supporting Labour is beyond me.

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well said, Russ.
So I take it as this comes down to the nimble young fish in the pond vs the hoary old trout? … when it comes to re-interpreting economic paradigms for the 21st century and beyond, that is

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