emissions target Archive

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  Nick Smith: incompetent, negligent, or something else?

  
  
  
  It’s a very serious question which I don’t take lightly, but I am beginning to wonder why the media aren’t asking this question when it comes to the Minister’s handling of the Climate Change portfolio. Probably the most vexing issue is the Minister’s cynical use of a flawed NZIER/Infometrics report, which he commissioned, in order to [...] read more
  August 24, 2009 6:46 am - 40 Comments
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  Nick Smith doesn’t get it

  
  
  
  Nick Smith’s response to “Getting There“, the Green Party’s analysis of how much of a 40% greenhouse gas reduction target we could meet in NZ at low cost, was entirely predictable. We asked him 7 questions in the House today and are none the wiser. First, he refused to give any information about any work the [...] read more
  August 5, 2009 10:32 am - 148 Comments
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  Can we do 40? Yes we can.

  
  
  
  Today the Greens produced a report showing that significant emission reductions can be made by 2020 to meet the bulk of a 40% target. This involves 36.2 million tonnes of reductions that would meet a 20% domestic reduction, much of it at little or no cost and with significant employment and environmental benefits. A further [...] read more
  August 4, 2009 3:10 pm - 128 Comments
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  General Debate, August 4, 2009

  
  
  
  There’s a National Hui on setting New Zealand’s 2020 Emissions Target at Westpac Stadium in Wellington today.  Will Maori argue for the 40% reduction Greenpeace is campaigning for, the measly 15% reduction floated recently by John Key, or at least the 25% reduction scientists say is the minimum needed to avoid the worst effects of climate change? read more
  August 4, 2009 7:12 am - 21 Comments
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  Emissions webcast a bit fizzy

  
  
  
  Last night’s webcast from MfE was not a triumph in technological consultation, but it does give us a glimpse into what is possible. Aside from the usual technical challenges, like all the panel appearing in smurf blue for the first 20 minutes and some viewers whinging because they chose a bandwidth far in excess of [...] read more
  July 21, 2009 10:23 am - 2 Comments
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  Last chance to have your say on emissions – online

  
  
  
  I’ll give MfE credit for one thing. If you are going to hold a Clayton’s consultation on a 2020 target, (like giving 1.4 million Aucklander’s just an hour and a half to have their say), you certainly get high marks for courage with tonight’s online webcast/consultation round. Pulling this off without a hitch would be [...] read more
  July 20, 2009 11:51 am - 23 Comments
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  Town and Country at Loggerheads

  
  
  
  There was a stark contrast between the Napier consultation meeting on our climate change target, and those in the major cities. We’re now reaping the consequences of several years of misinformation being fed to the farming community about climate science and it is driving the deepest town-country divide I have seen in my lifetime. Auckland and [...] read more
  July 20, 2009 9:04 am - 127 Comments
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  Nick Smith’s statistical massage

  
  
  
  This is one of the slides used by the Minister for the Environment in the climate change target consultation presentation. The bar graph showing percentage emissions change for sectors between 1990 and 2007 serves to focus attention on the electricity sector, where the emissions have grown over 90% in that time. But astute readers will notice that [...] read more
  July 16, 2009 3:08 pm - 37 Comments
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  Nick Smith asks for a public education on climate change

  
  
  
  On Monday night, Minister Nick Smith held the first of a series of public meetings on setting an emissions reduction target.  The series is being held throughout the main cities in NZ. The Government is to be commended for initiating this series since a democratic legitimacy for its policies is a necessary condition of it sticking.  [...] read more
  July 9, 2009 6:34 am - 46 Comments
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  Why we need an emissions target

  
  
  
  Image created by Robert A. Rohde / Global Warming Art Despite the protestations of frogblog’s resident trolls, New Zealand contributes to this increase, every day. Kiwis have one of the highest per capita emissions profiles in the world. There can be no free-riders when it comes to climate change. No carbon bludgers. We are well outside of [...] read more
  July 5, 2009 3:14 pm - 61 Comments