I don’t think NZers ‘get’ how big the climate crisis really is.
How enormous the impact of endlessly pumping pollution into our biosphere causes and how much of an existential threat that poses us all as a species.
The IPCC report has always infamously been conservative and underplayed or simply ignored the impacts of naturally occurring feedback loops that once crossed represent tipping points from which no technological advance can mitigate.
The methane release from melting permafrost threatens to trigger a warming event that we can’t escape and will bring with it catastrophic change for which only radical adaptation can possibly cope with.
What is most concerning about our response to the measles epidemic, the mass flooding we just experienced over the weekend or even the Australian bushfires is that these extraordinary events that we are totally ill equipped to cope with are all occurring at a time of relative peace. How would these services cope with a plethora of events erupting at climate crisis speed on numerous fronts?
We can barely cope with the first wave of disruptions, how on earth will we cope when the enormity of events eclipse these small ones?
My contention is that in a future like that voters will throw their weight behind any party promising radical proposals.
That’s why I argue that Fortress Aotearoa is simply a matter of when not if.
The current political spectrum in New Zealand can not radically adapt fast enough to adopt the changes we must make if we are to survive the climate crisis. It will require a radical Political Movement that elects a Party to implement Fortress Aotearoa…
- Move away from intensive farming and look to become domestically self sustainable in terms of food.
- Immediately ban all water exports
- 5 year Parliamentary term.
- Upper and Lower House (Upper House 50-50 split between Māori & Pakeha that can hold up legislation if unhappy about Treaty issues)
- Massive investment into R&D from Government with the understanding research is to benefit NZ first before sold offshore.
- Large scale increase in Navy, Army & Airforce.
- Mass limiting of tourism numbers with increased tourist taxes.
- Only citizens can vote.
- Sustainable immigration and an end to exploitative migrant workers.
- Resettlement Programms for all pacific island neighbours.
- Increase refugee in take to 10 000 per year
- Fully funded public services.
- Mass Green housing rebuild.
- 100% renewable energy for entire country.
- Massive tree planting across previous farming land.
- Wholesale re-write of state services act to end commercial values.
- Investment into basic pharmaceutical production.
- Financial transaction tax
- Wealth tax
- Multinational tax
- Inheritance tax
- Self sustaining local community organising.
On a rapidly warming planet, NZ will increasingly be the life boat for Earth and the tyranny of our distance will become our blessing.
As the climate crisis unfolds more and more people in fury will turn against the current political system too wedded to the economic profits margins of the polluters. It is just a matter of time before the NZ electorate rejects the limitations of the current political spectrum.
Couple more to add.
No dual citizenship
Tax churches
And make them pay rates.
I’m still waiting for people to start talking about regenerative farming. By all means look it up yourself – if we treat farms like a proper functioning ecosystem we can sequester carbon back into the soil. It’s being done now by people all round the world, many of the Democrat candidates talk about it, yet I never see it mentioned in New Zealand – except by TOP. A solution to this crisis is staring us in the face and we can’t see it
Very good review of our current ‘slack slow’ Government preparation for our protection from the climate catastrophe approaching us today.
All warming of the oceans from our continued ‘transport emissions’ alone will impact on our lives far more than Government has grasped today.
Since 2017 transport emissions of CO2 have increased not decreased so we are entering the slippery slope of “Indian Ocean Dipole” (IOD) that even the Australian Government has recognized as a clear danger facing all global populations.
We have told government to switch to Rail transport from Truck transport; – and no one is listening so far.
https://www.rnz.co.nz/news/national/331646/nz-seventh-worst-on-emissions-of-41-nations
quote; Emissions from the energy sector increased 36.7 percent between 1990 and 2015 as a result of increased road use and manufacturing using fossil fuels.
The climate is changing no arguement but do we need to bring down democracy to counter the effects. Countries around the World survive and grow with climates that are both hotter and colder than we find comfortable . Holland has survived for 400 years but is between 2 and 7 metres under the sea level. New Orleans survived for years and due to bad governance got flooded. We need to work on cleaning up polution and cutting waste but you plan would lead to civil unrest and destroy the good life in this country that the majority lead
The countries that are currently “hotter and colder than we find comfortable” survive because there are sufficient other areas that are “comfortable” i.e. arable & with extractable resources and the means to utilise and transport those resources.
Arable land and conditions permitting current rates of resource extraction, transformation and distribution are decreasing. The population on the other hand is increasing.
Humankinds political and economic systems produced this emerging catastrophe.
They can’t deliver us from it.
You will need hard survival training, a good gun, ammunition, a bunker and sufficient food stock to survive in future, few of the spoiled, trendy, soft urban liberals are going to survive what will come.
Individual survival is kinda pointless. Community self sufficiency in small towns is the best option. Urban survival in large cities will be all but impossible.
Local, regional and global solidarity networks.
This blog from Martyn Bradbury contains some very smart proposals.
But the theme call for a “Fortress Aotearoa” is perhaps inappropriate to catch the central strategic mission; it allows too many unfitting martial associations.
As the exact timing, location and scale of unfolding climatic events cannot precisely be forecasted, the assumption that NZAO will remain an isolated place of protection may prove to be wrong.
One has to be aware, too, that the country is located in a very active zone of geo-hazards that can substantially be influenced by climatic variations and phenomena, and its closeness to Antarctica.
What we need is local, regional and global solidarity networks.
https://www.aljazeera.com/indepth/opinion/survive-intersectional-solidarity-191208111754762.html
http://www.learnz.org.nz/shakeout154/new-zealands-geohazards
Some good nationalization policy’s there Martyn,… cant say I disagree at all to be honest. All for it, actually. Sounds a lot like the New Zealand we all thrived under pre 1984. Before the polluting exploiting neo liberals wrecked the place.
Modified of course for the conditions people believe will be taking place.
At any rate , all those measures need to and should be enacted. Certainly wont hurt to start doing it now. But all of these neo liberals still in parliament… perhaps its time to start getting rid of them before we go down the good path towards health and happiness?… hmmm?
It looks like a comment of mine has not been printed, presumably having upset the censors. It is cowardly to reject a comment yet give no reason, though I suspect I am accused of racism, which I deny totally.
For the record, when I was living in Australia I stood five times in various elections for a Party that was rather left of the Greens at the time and have never voted for a right wing party in my life. If I have upset your tender sensitivities I suspect you have a bigger problem than I have.
Hah, you are NOT alone.
At least this comment of yours made it, bonash. 9 out of 10 of mine don’t.
Not going to happen. No government will be able to implement this fast enough to make a difference. Partisan politics and the usual arguing will dominate. The statist approach is flawed. De-centralising, de-urbanising is what Aotearoa needs to “survive”.
“A new study found that most people would rather be annihilated by a giant tidal wave caused by climate change than continue to be lectured by climate change activists.”
Babylon Bee
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