Carbon Archive

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  Where’s the plan? - by Gareth Hughes

  
  
  
  Today the UK Government released its draft Carbon Plan containing some 130 actions and targets to reduce emissions. With petrol prices nearing record highs, UK Energy Secretary, Chris Huhne, said Britain had no option but to speed up efforts to move away from oil. “Getting off the oil hook is made all the more urgent [...] read more
  March 9, 2011 6:12 pm - 13 Comments
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  NZ red-faced over climate change - by Jeanette Fitzsimons

  
  
  
  Why would someone who believes climate change is a hoax and human activity is not contributing to climate change, want a carbon tax? Why would you tax fossil fuels if you don’t believe they are doing any harm? Why would a party that has campaigned on a carbon tax since 1993 and accepted the ETS [...] read more
  November 30, 2008 4:31 pm - 89 Comments
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  Less than 2 percent - by frog

  
  
  
  The Emissions Trading Scheme will only reduce emissions by 2 percent.  So a reader writes asking a query about the following John Key statement: I told the group that while we must play our part in the fight against climate change, we shouldn’t be the world leader, because that will come at the expense of [...] read more
  October 28, 2008 1:42 pm - 9 Comments
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  Greenpeace lays out the election issue - by frog

  
  
  
  It was guiltily good to read Bunny McDiarmid’s Greenpeace analysis of the Emissions Trading Scheme because it seems she and her colleagues have been struggling with exactly the same issues that the Green Party faced when deciding whether to vote for the legislation or not.  With the bill now law there’s a big risk that [...] read more
  September 16, 2008 12:34 pm - 8 Comments
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  Fallow focuses the debate on facts - by frog

  
  
  
  It’s interesting, in all the rhetoric about the Emissions Trading Scheme, to see the Herald’s business correspondent Brian Fallow applying more than a modicum of balance to the debate.  His article last week on the greening of assigned amount units (AAUs)  was notable as one of the few pieces that had been written by someone [...] read more
  September 9, 2008 9:16 am - 2 Comments
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  Minor tinkering - by frog

  
  
  
  The Minister of Climate Change, David Parker notes this afternoon: “The difference between Labour and National that is clear to everyone is that Labour has a track record on climate change you can trust, whereas National has a track record of denial, obstruction, and delay.” Yup, here’s a graph of Labour’s track record you can [...] read more
  September 4, 2008 3:47 pm - 39 Comments
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  Emissions trading scheme – credits, biodiversity and agriculture - by frog

  
  
  
  Jeanette gave her second reading speech on the Emissions Trading Scheme last week and it’s worth pulling out a few quotes to discuss some of the technical details.  First let’s look at one of the changes the Greens made to the free credit allocations for trade exposed industries: In a further amendment, the Minister must [...] read more
  September 2, 2008 8:34 am - 11 Comments
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  An emissions trading subsidy for fishing? - by frog

  
  
  
  The Hive noted on Friday that: The revised [Emissions Trading Scheme] contains an enormous new subsidy for the fishing industry. This was, surprise, surprise negotiated by NZ First… Fish subsidies are the direct cause of over fishing. We are opposed to any subsidisation of this industry. The original ETS has no subsidy going to the [...] read more
  August 31, 2008 4:19 pm - 7 Comments
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  $1 billion of warm homes - by frog

  
  
  
  The have been the usual voices in favour and against the Greens’ decision to back the Emissions Trading Scheme, and I’ll talk more about that later. But I also just saw a media release coming from a different angle from the Director of the University of Otago Wellington’s He Kainga Oranga/Housing and Health Research Programme [...] read more
  August 27, 2008 4:30 pm - 47 Comments
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  Yes to the Emissions Trading Scheme - by frog

  
  
  
  The Green Party caucus has just voted to support the Emissions Trading Scheme. I was watching caucus debate through the window and can confirm the decision did not look to be a foregone conclusion. Jeanette’s media release highlights some of the improvements to the scheme: We have always said the scheme needed to share the [...] read more
  August 26, 2008 2:30 pm - 138 Comments
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  Tactical compromise or purist ideology - by frog

  
  
  
  The Herald’s editorial this morning is an interesting one.  It looks at the Green’s dilemma over whether to support the Emissions Trading Scheme or not this Tuesday. It notes the ongoing negotiations and significant home insulation gains that the Greens have won so far. Enough it suggests for the Greens to engage in the politics [...] read more
  August 24, 2008 7:38 am - 67 Comments
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  The Emissions Trading Scheme: time for your thoughts - by frog

  
  
  
  Chris Trotter has a pleasingly simple view on the world sometimes.  If something is supported by Labour and opposed by National it is good.  This is his view of the ETS despite the fact that it risks very real inequities that could hurt ordinary New Zealanders at the expense of big business.  Hence his plea [...] read more
  August 21, 2008 3:06 pm - 70 Comments
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  The environmental case for cask wine - by frog

  
  
  
  I never thought I would be writing this. I confess to liking a drop or two of the good stuff, and thought I had done my bit for the environment by forgoing those pesky corks for plastic plugs. Chris Higgins of MentalFloss argues the case for the cask: In the U.S., wine sold in a [...] read more
  August 19, 2008 3:31 pm - 27 Comments
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  Reducing emissions – regulation or trading? - by Jeanette Fitzsimons

  
  
  
  Idiot Savant, don’t you know such straightforward common sense is really out of fashion? We have to have trading so that people who have no interest in reducing emissions – lots of them are lawyers and accountants and stock exchange agents – can make heaps of money clipping the ticket every time there is a [...] read more
  July 27, 2008 8:54 pm - 23 Comments
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  Regulating against climate emissions - by frog

  
  
  
  No Right Turn has just posted an introduction to the alternatives to an emissions trading scheme.  It quotes Truthseeker: Legislatively mandating emissions reductions to an open and transparent regulatory schedule and NOT operating a market may actually be cheaper and ultimately more effective than an ETS. It should be required reading for right wing parties [...] read more
  July 18, 2008 6:41 pm - 17 Comments
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  Emissions Trading Scheme emerges from Select Committee - by frog

  
  
  
  There’s lots of coverage of the Emissions Trading Scheme with the most detail coming, as usual, from No Right Turn. Now that the bill is out of Select Committee the real negotiations are likely to begin. Labour’s prevarication on the the scheme has now left it the unenviable position of trying to cobble together a [...] read more
  June 17, 2008 9:27 am - 22 Comments
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  The PM’s Carbon emissions speech - by frog

  
  
  
  Right, I’m back from the Green Party conference.  (Oh, talking of which you should listen to Kiwi FM’s Wallace Chapman talking to Scoop’s Selwyn Manning on the Greens’ Conference over the weekend). Seems the one of the big news stories for the week will be World Environment Day.  The Prime Minister, gearing up for World [...] read more
  June 4, 2008 4:13 pm - 6 Comments
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  OPEN LETTER to Paul Lennon, Premier of Tasmania - by Jeanette Fitzsimons

  
  
  
  Jeanette here. This evening I had this letter delivered to Tasmanian Premier Paul Lennon at a parliamentary function. The Premier is here researching New Zealand climate change initiatives, and I felt there was one thing in particular he could learn from our experience in New Zealand: 22 May 2008 OPEN LETTER to Paul Lennon, Premier [...] read more
  May 22, 2008 8:34 pm - 23 Comments
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  Peak oil rescues the Prime Minister - by frog

  
  
  
  The Prime Minister is defending her flip flop on the Emissions Trading Scheme on the basis that oil prices are rising and thus having the same effect on motorists’ behaviour as the ETS would have done anyway.  This, as Jeanette has pointed out on The Panel this afternoon, ignores the fact that taxpayers are subsidising [...] read more
  May 6, 2008 9:35 pm - 12 Comments
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  Jeanette throws down her gauntlet - by frog

  
  
  
  The Government will have to look to the National Party to support its Emissions Trading legislation if it is watered down to the point where it provides no significant environmental benefit. “We are not in this game just so some can make money speculating on carbon prices. Emissions reductions need to be real and soon, [...] read more
  May 6, 2008 11:06 am - 30 Comments