Emissions Trading Scheme Archive

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  Key’s potential coalition dilemma - by frog

  
  
  
  By the looks of the polls John Key might be talking to Rodney Hide about the environment next week. That’s certainly how Hide is positioning himself in the lead up to tomorrow’s vote. John, you gotta get the country out of this Emissions Trading Scam. Hide and his party are the only remaining confirmed climate [...] read more
  November 7, 2008 1:22 pm - 35 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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  Just carbon emission trading - by frog

  
  
  
  There is an interesting article on Slate called ‘Adam Smith Meets Climate Change‘, which notes that now many countries are introducing carbon emission trading schemes, the next step is how to harmonise those schemes on an international market. In particular countries need to reach a consensus on how to globally acceptable level of carbon emissions [...] read more
  October 1, 2008 3:27 pm - No 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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  Saving the trolley buses, again - by frog

  
  
  
  A strange anomaly of the Emissions Trading Scheme is that electricity is facing a carbon charge from 2010, while fuel faces a charge in 2011. This meant that the electric trolley buses in Wellington faced the strange side effect that they could become less viable compared to diesel buses.  Luckily Sue Kedgley and other stepped [...] read more
  September 9, 2008 3:42 pm - 29 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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  Dunne makes chickens suffer - by frog

  
  
  
  Peter Dunne is pooh-poohing the $180 million compensation package for households that will form part of the Emissions Trading Scheme, which NZ First is claiming from it’s negotiations with Labour.  Dunne’s back of the napkin calculations are that each household will receive $2.15 a week. He then further calculates $2,15 to be about 7 eggs. [...] read more
  September 2, 2008 12:11 pm - 40 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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  Agenda - by Jeanette Fitzsimons

  
  
  
  Isn’t it bizarre how the sole issue in politics some ten weeks before an election is the behaviour of one MP, whose  party is running at 2-4% in the polls? Whether we can take his word; who would or would not sack him; what his lawyers think; and who said what to whom. Frankly, who [...] read more
  September 1, 2008 8:51 am - 156 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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  Focussing on what matters - by frog

  
  
  
  Is a price on carbon enough? Or do we need complimentary measures to make sure that we get the emissions reductions we need? These were the questions asked of Jeanette and other key leaders at the climate change conference yesterday. All the speakers, except Jeanette, said that it was about 80/20, that a price on [...] read more
  August 21, 2008 9:39 am - 65 Comments
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  Further to the weekend’s cow poo story - by frog

  
  
  
  According to the NZ Herald: Power generated from cow dung has been identified as one way New Zealand could make billions from an emissions trading scheme. It’s good to see some coverage of  emissions trading schemes  that is not presented as ‘environment vs economy’ but of the economy operating effectively within our environment.  This story [...] read more
  August 18, 2008 3:07 pm - 60 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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  Key’s missed chance - by frog

  
  
  
  I’m surprised that John Key has responded so negatively to Jeanette’s invitation to him to lay out National’s alternative to the Emissions Trading Scheme. Well, that is, I’m not surprised in the sense that standing on the sidelines and throwing rocks rather than putting forward his own ideas seems to be Key’s current modus operandi.  [...] read more
  July 2, 2008 4:28 pm - 21 Comments