environment Archive

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  Environmental conference season highlights clash of values - by Kevin Hague

  
  
  
  Just grabbing a few days’ rest after a full-on three weeks in Parliament, including yet another week of pointless urgency. The weekends have kept me busy too, but much more constructively. I’m not only talking about the great Invercargill march against the Government’s mining plans, but also a whole series of important environmental conferences. The [...] read more
  July 7, 2010 1:33 pm - 7 Comments
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  Urgent: Tell the Govt that air quality matters! - by frog

  
  
  
  If you are concerned about the fact that 49% of New Zealanders live in areas where the quality of the air is dangerous because of avoidable particulates – submit by Friday this week on Nick Smith’s proposed changes to air quality standards! The Government is proposing to lower and delay air quality standards, which will [...] read more
  July 6, 2010 1:53 pm - 23 Comments
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  Deep South has strong conservation message for Government - by Kevin Hague

  
  
  
  I’m sure that when the Government first developed its plan to “unlock” for mining conservation areas currently protected by Schedule 4 of the Crown Minerals Act, it anticipated that the plan would be opposed by conservationists and trendy lefties. But – the Government would have reasoned – such people don’t vote National anyway. What an [...] read more
  June 28, 2010 5:34 pm - 15 Comments
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  Oil spill in the Gulf of Mexico – again - by frog

  
  
  
  I had high hopes for the so called “top kill”. An end to the leak would mean that things can only get better from here on, that the beginning of the end has started. But no, it was not to be. Here are a few bits and bobs I’ve run across this weekend: This disaster [...] read more
  May 30, 2010 10:47 pm - 53 Comments
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  Another dollop of reality on climate change - by frog

  
  
  
  The latest ‘State of the Climate’ report from NOAA is going down like a cup of cold sick. Some ‘highlights’: The combined global land and ocean average surface temperature for April 2010 was the warmest on record at 14.5°C (58.1°F), which is 0.76°C (1.37°F) above the 20th century average of 13.7°C (56.7°F). This was also [...] read more
  May 25, 2010 11:47 am - 37 Comments
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  Environmental policies of the new UK coalition Govt - by frog

  
  
  
  Environmental journos at Grist analysed the environment policy platform of the new UK Conservative/Lib Dem coalition. Some items of note: The establishment of a high-speed rail network. The cancellation of the third runway at Heathrow International Airport. The establishment of a smart grid and the roll-out of smart meters (I bet they won’t be the [...] read more
  May 17, 2010 2:17 pm - 4 Comments
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  Oil spill in the Gulf of Mexico – link collection - by frog

  
  
  
  A major environmental and economic catastrophe has been unfolding in the Gulf of Mexico for about a week. No one knows how much oil is being leaked or for how long it will leak. It’s Sunday evening so I’m just going to brain-dump the links I’ve been reading this evening and come back to it [...] read more
  May 2, 2010 10:03 pm - 39 Comments
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  David’s Diary #3 – goodbye to Korea - by David Clendon

  
  
  
  Back to Incheon airport this morning, waiting to board en route to Bangkok. I have seen some novel and interesting things in the last few days, as one would hope and expect when visiting a country for the first time. But a few minutes catching up on the news from home via dear old Granny [...] read more
  March 26, 2010 10:48 am - 4 Comments
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  David’s Diary #2 – bridging the divide - by David Clendon

  
  
  
  Our second full day in Korea (and I do mean a full day!) has been illuminating in all sorts of ways, but the biggest buzz was entering North Korea (albeit briefly) without even having to produce a passport!  The opening session was a meeting over coffee with a professor of political studies from Chung-ang University, [...] read more
  March 24, 2010 12:14 pm - 1 Comment
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  Water battles in the Manawatu - by frog

  
  
  
  Yesterday I accompanied Russel to the Horizons Regional Council hearings on the water quality section of their proposed One Plan . Horizons, who manage natural resources in the Manawatu and Whanganui region, have proposed a really innovative way of dealing with complex issues around water, land use, heritage, biodiversity, coasts, and air quality – stick [...] read more
  March 4, 2010 5:28 pm - 13 Comments
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  Wake up call for NZ exporters - by David Clendon

  
  
  
  If Kiwi businesses are to stay in the international retail game they need to get serious about adopting environmental and sustainable business practices. This is the message coming loud and clear from research revealed by major British retailer Marks and Spencer (M&S). M&S says environmental and social issues remain important to UK consumers. A survey [...] read more
  March 4, 2010 1:28 pm - 2 Comments
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  Fish industry uses net to catch hoki criticism - by frog

  
  
  
  To the surprise of conservationists, in 2001 the New Zealand hoki fishery was recognised as a sustainably managed fishery by the Marine Stewardship Council. Yet conservationists have continually raised concerns over how the fishery could possibly be sustainable when bycatch rates of NZ fur seals and seabirds are so high and the bottom trawling equipment [...] read more
  December 12, 2009 10:05 am - 9 Comments
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  The brand vs battery cows - by Russel Norman

  
  
  
  This is how we present our butter to the world: “Only our cows are free to roam all day long. Anchor – the free range butter company”. And this is cubicle factory dairy production – the battery cow. Or this: Cognitive dissonance anyone? read more
  December 9, 2009 7:56 pm - 62 Comments
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  Herd homes vs cubicles like home vs prison - by Jeanette Fitzsimons

  
  
  
  Have you ever felt that after a long day inside a building you just have to get out and feel the sun and breathe some air? I guess not being able to do that is one  of the punishments the prison system imposes on offenders. But even they get an hour or so out in [...] read more
  December 9, 2009 3:35 pm - 11 Comments
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  Global concern at Nats’ plan to mine national parks - by frog

  
  
  
  Scrutiny of Government plans to mine our conservation lands is deepening internationally. And it’s got people hot on Facebook too. The Sunday Star Times ran a powerful feature on the weekend called “Picture imperfect”. It looks at international concern at New Zealand’s environmental performance, including National’s plan to mine conservation land: IT’S JUST a stock-take [...] read more
  December 7, 2009 8:30 pm - 10 Comments
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  Hugging trees: with a spade, trap and chainsaw - by frog

  
  
  
  A Wellington couple, entreprenuerial tree-huggers if you wish, criticise Fed Farmer’s head-in-the-sand attitude on climate change in the Nelson Mail today. They’ve invested in carbon farming a 47ha block of marginal land in Golden Bay. Jonathan Kennett and Bronwen Wall aren’t wringing their hands or seeking emissions subsidy handouts; they’re getting their hands dirty planting [...] read more
  December 2, 2009 1:16 pm - No Comments
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  Cell towers keep appearing without consultation - by Sue Kedgley

  
  
  
  Every week someone contacts me about an unwanted cell tower, mast or antennae, that are being erected near to where they live. Last week I got a call from a woman in Herne Bay, Auckland – who had discovered that a cell phone mast was about to be erected on a telephone pole outside her [...] read more
  November 30, 2009 3:50 pm - 11 Comments
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  Happy anniversary to a plucky bird - by frog

  
  
  
  On this day 60 years ago, Geoffrey Orbell rediscovered the takahe in Fiordland. The takahe or nortornis (Porphyrio hochstetteri) looks like a pukeko at first glance, but it’s a bit tougher. It has a big bill and strong legs with which it could happily defend itself in a Friday night Courtenay Place melee. After only [...] read more
  November 20, 2009 8:30 am - 5 Comments
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  Mokihinui – Brownlee’s burp - by frog

  
  
  
  So this week our Minister of Mining and Damming (aka Energy and Resources) let slip that the Mokihinui hydro-dam “would not go ahead”. Does he know something or was it just his ‘opinion’? Whatever the brain-burp was, he was ill-advised to say it but it’d be nice to think that there may be Moki fans in Government – perhaps they are closet readers of the 1400-fan facebook page! read more
  November 5, 2009 10:16 pm - 28 Comments
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  Smart hook – smart economics - by frog

  
  
  
  Fisher-turned-inventor Hans Jussiet explains the shield and dissolvable pin that covers baited-hooks as they are launched in this video from an ABC TVshow. Once the shielded hook sinks below the depth of seabirds and turtles, the pin dissolves and the shield is released. [Video included] read more
  November 5, 2009 9:20 pm - 5 Comments