James Shaw was completely right about Simon Bridges being a climate denier…
James Shaw burns Simon Bridges in climate change speech
Climate Change Minister James Shaw has burned National leader Simon Bridges, accusing him of spreading “fear and misinformation”.
In a scathing speech at the Green Party’s annual meeting, Shaw said Bridges was guilty of “desperate” and “dangerous” climate change denial.
…all true.
Culturally and politically NZ doesn’t like to try meaning our climate denial has to be as laid back as our anti-intellectualism. Simon doesn’t outwardly state that he doesn’t believe the science, that would open him to ridicule, instead he’s a slow follower and he demands that we don’t be ‘alarmist’ about the climate crisis. Bridges understands that climate change isn’t a science issue, it’s a culture issue.
The vast majority of climate deniers in NZ are National Party voters, who also just happen to be the polluters who profit most from the current do nothing policy and Simon offers them the opportunity to continue doing nothing.
So James is completely right to attack National for being climate deniers.
However, if the climate crisis is the danger that James Shaw claims, and it is…
July confirmed as hottest month recorded
Greenland’s ice sheet just lost 11 billion tons of ice — in one day
Climate Scientist Jason Box: “Our Economic System Is Crashing with Reality”
…so if the climate crisis is the existential threat Shaw claims it is, then the current policy direction of the Greens goes no where in combating that threat.
The Greens allow Farmers to continue to shirk their obligations (when the change is needed now), the Greens are shutting down future oil and gas (when the change is needed now), the Greens are promising to be carbon neutral in 31 years (when the change is needed now) and the Greens signed off on a deal with our Corporate Overlords to not borrow the money our economy needs to reinvest in a sustainable future.
So James is right to attack Simon for not taking Climate Change seriously, but everything he has to date put up as a solution is as underwhelming as being handed an umbrella on a beach to protect you from a tsunami.
Indeed in my opinion the Greens look like the proverbial toothless tiger when it comes to climate issues these days. Of course the same accusation could also be leveled at Labour and NZF. Its fair to say too that without the support of the larger percentage of the coalition its hard in real terms for one party to enact real change. Its not helped either by the “all is well” and “climate change is a farce” message coming from the larger portions of the mainstream media either.
So what’s to be done? There’s no good answer as long as we have parties that a broad grouping wont take this issue seriously. Its really as simple as that.
If a lot more people had voted Green and if polling after the election was showing that a sizeable proportion of New Zealanders were seriously concerned about climate change, then I think your comment would be valid. The Greens punch way above their weight ( the weight the electorate has given them) and this is in the face of industry and the county’s biggest media organisation (NZME) openly funding climate change deniers (Mike Hoskings etc etc)
If there is a problem with climate then we all need to consume less but as soon as the economy slows down this government pushes for the Reserve Bank to lower it’s interest rate so we can spend more on stuff that will finish up in the land fill. Like all problems in history there will be an answer when thinks get so bad the public notices not just a few schoolkids and well meaning protestors.
Give them a break. You only have to whisper “global warming” and the boomers will jump down your throat and wont stop till you either change your mind about said subject or hang yourself is despair. They are that bad, and this lot is a huge % of our voting public, and guess who doesn’t want to upset them? Everybody!
As you said all Nat supporters are deniers, theres 50% for a start, what can the greens do to change there minds? They hate the greens, they hate everyone not a Nat, wont listen, know everything etc etc. Impossible.
Really Sean,mainstream media predominantly saying ‘Climate change is a farce’. Get real,we have been inundated with the doom and gloom world ending propaganda constantly!
Replace: “The vast majority of climate deniers in NZ are National Party voters”
With: “The vast majority of climate deniers in NZ are older white males”
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