National Party position on climate change is abysmal – Citizens Environmental Advocacy Centre

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CEAC supports Government for elevating clean ‘Rail Transport’ over truck transport, for moving more freight onto rail, thereby keeping our CO2 ‘climate emissions’ at a far lower levels, potentially stabilising climate changing weather events, saving taxpayer spending, keeping all our public highways /local roads safer, reducing road surface destruction from trucks causing immense road/bridge surface damages, saving taxpayer costs.

Here’s the latest;

• While Labour/NZ First have produced the new updated “National Rail strategy” which shows climate change leadership;
https://www.budget.govt.nz/budget/2019/wellbeing/transforming-economy/investing-in-rail.htm

Contrast Labour/NZ First to National;

• National has vowed to scrap the RMA . https://www.stuff.co.nz/national/politics/118223167/national-promises-to-repeal-and-replace-rma

• National Instead plan to build massive highways for more (dirty emissions of CO2 using truck freight. https://www.scoop.co.nz/stories/PA1912/S00153/national-to-deliver-on-housing-transport-and-infrastructure.htm

• National also are deliberately refusing to plan for rail freight, thereby are encouraging no rail freight to and from all provincial ports. https://www.stuff.co.nz/national/politics/118223167/national-promises-to-repeal-and-replace-rma

National promises to repeal and replace RMA.

TDB Recommends NewzEngine.com

Winston Peters and Phil Twyford as Minister of Transport have been outlining the rail potential benefits in this new rail policy here; https://www.budget.govt.nz/budget/2019/wellbeing/transforming-economy/investing-in-rail.htm

Quote;

• “Rail makes a vital contribution to urban public transport. Moving more freight by rail is economically efficient, and reduces carbon emissions as well as deaths and serious injuries on our roads.

• “Previous Governments have taken a hands-off approach and left rail in a state of managed decline.

• “That’s why we instigated the Future of Rail review to make sure we are taking a long-term, joined-up approach to rehabilitating rail.

• “Our New Zealand Rail Plan will outline the Government’s strategic vision and give a 10-year programme of indicative investments and benefits,” Phil Twyford says.

• KiwiRail will report on progress on implementing the Government’s vision for rail and further funding will be considered in Budget 2020.

Unquote;

CEAC hereby adds our support to Government for elevating clean ‘Rail Transport’ over truck transport, for moving more freight onto rail;
• thereby keeping our CO2 ‘climate emissions’ at a far lower levels,
• potentially stabilising climate changing weather events.
• saving taxpayer spending,
• Keeping all our public highways /local roads safer.
• Reducing road surface destruction from trucks causing immense road/bridge surface damages.
• Saving taxpayer costs from rising from paying for every day on roads all around our country.

 

9 COMMENTS

  1. Add to the coalitions reasons for investing in rail throughout NZ – providing much needed sustainable jobs, developing technology, promoting Tourism opportunities, lifting depressed areas of NZ particularly areas that previously had rail access, helping some local businesses in these areas.

    • Well if we are going to overcome Climate Change with technological solutions that cooperatives can use as tool then we require a product or service that is 100% manufactured in New Zealand. We can be flexible on raw materials but every component has to be manufactured in New Zealand.

      For example when NASA was racing to the moon with taxpayer moony they got Kodak to research and manufacture every component of the American space industry and thanks to all the publicly funded innovation eventually the mobile phone and a host of technologies would be used to overcome the Cold War.

      China is doing the same today with Huawei and we could do the same with Kiwi rail.

        • Perhaps advanced next gen steam trains could be used for shunting and mainline line freight but that’s only because I don’t want to be dismissive.

          My desire for an electric alternative comes from a desire to have 200kms per hr passenger trains to bring Whangarei and Hamilton with in easy commute of Auckland effectively making them suburbs of Aukland.

          So middle class get access to property prices they wouldn’t ordinarily get while maintaining incomes, Hamilton gets a boost and maybe the Vhiefs might win another title.

          That’s why I would do it. The fact that decision makes today Are choosing from a menu made up of all renewable options is well the irony is not lost on me.

          • Well Sam the high speed train would be convenient to many with the money to ride in them.
            They are expensive to build, maintain and run.

            I favour planning that communities are designed to have employment, most food supply, education and specialised light industry, within walking or biking distance from housing.
            Rail is the transport for distribution of food and light industry products and supplies.

  2. Add to the coalitions reasons for investing in rail throughout NZ – providing much needed sustainable jobs, developing technology, promoting Tourism opportunities, lifting depressed areas of NZ particularly areas that previously had rail access, helping some local businesses in these areas.

  3. Also the tipping point of “micro-plastics” from tyre dust is now entering the oceans from “road tyre dust pollution runnoff” is discussed by our own Ministry of Transport in a large 105 page document produced in 2002 shows we are polluting our own water and oceans so this new study shows where we are headed using road freight as trains doint emit tyre dust as steel wheels on steel tracks is pollution free. A clear advantage to us all here.
    Quote from; “A new study from the Scripps Institution of Oceanography at the University of California San Diego”
    “suggests that the ocean could potentially contain a million times more microplastic particles than previously thought.”

    We now need to have some of these samples analysed with GCMS sampling, to see if ‘tyre dust particulates are part of the micro-plastics from road tyre dust runoff as ‘road traffic tyre dust runoff’ is now considered as endemic?? (See title of the MOT report below we refereenced)
    “Emission Factors for Contaminants Released by Motor Vehicles in New Zealand”- Ministry of Transport. 2002.
    https://www.transport.govt.nz/…/Documents/9fa2b3a10b/stormwater-emission-factors.pdf

    Quote from; “A new study from the Scripps Institution of Oceanography at the University of California San Diego”
    “suggests that the ocean could potentially contain a million times more microplastic particles than previously thought.”

    https://play.stuff.co.nz/details/_6123037694001

    Ocean contains a million times more microplastic particles than previously thought
    15th January 2020

    A new study from the Scripps Institution of Oceanography at the University of California San Diego suggests that the ocean could potentially contain a million times more microplastic particles than previously thought.

    Researchers say that past methods used for collecting microplastic samples, such as net tows, were inadequate as smaller plastic particles are able to escape through the holes of the net.

    For the study, the team developed a new technique to gather microplastics from the ocean surface.

    Researchers took three different cruises during three different time periods between 2009 to 2015 to gather surface seawater samples in metal buckets from the open ocean and near the shore.

    The samples were promptly filtered with polycarbonate filters and then frozen.

    Scientists also gathered 100 salp samples from the sea in 2009, 2013, 2014, 2015 and 2017 using mesh bongo nets.

    The study found that nearshore samples of seawater had a higher concentration of plastic than samples obtained from the open sea.

    Researchers then analysed the salps via epifluorescence microscopy and found that every single salp sample contained tiny microplastic pieces in their gut.

    Sent from Citizens Environmental Advocacy Centre. – CEAC In’c 2001

    • Horse and cart transport for short hall generates no microplastic/fibres.
      Traction engines don’t need rails.
      We need to look ahead to short haul food without fossil fuels.

  4. Only problem is that KiwiRail is still a National fiefdom that has mastered the dark art of pretending to be something they are not – pro rail.

    All investment in KiwiRail will have a veneer of being pro-Rail but will be in old technology; under sized; slow and very expensive. Perfect if you are a National voting supply contractor. Rail will then fail to deliver further adding to its demise in NZ; while it prospers just about everywhere else in the world.

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