Exporting climate change
Statistics New Zealand’s release today of Overseas Merchandise Trade for the month of December 2007 reveals the incredible statistic that dairy exports (milk powder, butter and cheese) rose 76.9% from the previous December to exceed $1 billion for a single month, for the first time ever.
Our third biggest export for the month of December (after dairy and meat) was petroleum and related products. It rose by just under $900 million, or 157%, for the year from 2006 to 2007.
Ironically our largest import for 2007 was … petroleum and related products - nearly $6 billion dollars worth (and $5 billion worth of vehicles parts and accessories). We also imported over $400 million worth of fertilizers, and nearly $300 million worth of food residues, waste and fodder.
January 31st, 2008 at 4:26 pm
We are told to “think globally and act locally”. Maybe thinking globally means we should export dairy products, if we can produce them at a lower cost to the environment than other places? Maybe we should export aluminium from a smelter which uses hydro-electricity, instead of importing aluminium from smelters in Australia which use electricity generated from burning coal?
All I’m saying is that sometimes what seems to be bad at first sight may actually be better than the alternatives.
January 31st, 2008 at 6:05 pm
In a sense, we can (if we work at it) export the energy of the winds that we catch in our turbines and the geothermal power beneath our feet, and the produce that grows in our benign climate and do so to our profit and the benefit of the planet as a whole. Which is exactly right Samiuela.
All we have to do is understand that there are limits to how much we can grow, catch and collect and we can’t export more to the detriment of our own environment.
Thanks
Respectfully
BJ
January 31st, 2008 at 11:15 pm
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WHY am i not surprised? you can never find a statistic on the statistics website. all government websites are absolute garbage. why is that?
January 31st, 2008 at 11:16 pm
was that a rise in volumes or just prices?
and where’s my previous post?
February 1st, 2008 at 2:49 pm
>and we can’t export more to the detriment of our own environment.
The problem is, we do.
February 2nd, 2008 at 1:39 am
“all government websites are absolute garbage. why is that?” Because a well informed public might get stroppy.