Genius!
MPs will next week vote on whether or not Parliament should declare climate emergency
Parliament will next week debate if a climate emergency in New Zealand should be declared, leader of the House Chris Hipkins has told MPs.
Speaking in the House after the Speech from the Throne, Hipkins said that the motion will be debated next Tuesday.
Prime Minister Jacinda Ardern will personally introduce the motion next week, according to a spokesman.
Labour and the Greens are in real trouble. Barely a month after the election, large swathes of the Left are horrified by the utter lack of any transformative change despite Labour’s unprecedented MMP majority.
The refusal to revoke a racist drug law.
The refusal to do anything meaningful on welfare.
The jaw dropping support of property speculators.
The backing of Oranga Tamariki.
The Greens are tied to this despite their protestations of having an independent voice, so both Parties urgently require some meaningless and empty gesture to pacify the furious left.
What better empty gesture than declare a Climate Emergency?
You will remember Labour did this last time. When they were under a lot of criticism for being too timid on policy, Jacinda suddenly announced a ban on future oil and gas exploration and the criticism faded.
This is the same trick.
Don’t get me wrong, of course we are in a fucking climate emergency, I’ve been banging on for years and years that this is THE existential crisis of our age and that only radical reform of the economy and society is our only chance to adapt to the grim new future , but a climate emergency announcement is just a symbolic gesture that actually does nothing.
Labour and the Greens will attempt to use this emergency declaration to justify the first tranche of emission reductions that James Shaw will be releasing shortly alongside the Climate Change Commission’s domestic emissions budget report.
Unfortunately, those recommendations will be far too little and timid to be meaningful, but this is smart politics because it makes the Government look like they are doing something progressive at a a time when they are being criticised by progressives.
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The climate emergency declaration will be right up there with ‘Nuclear-free Horowhenua’ in terms of impact.
Are there any nukes in Horowhenua?
Pollution as well as climate change is killing NZ.
NZ urgently needs to move to a Norwegian model where corporations pay for using public resources like water and oceans. Our environment should be preserved as the number one rule and resource consents should not be given lightly. Also they need to be revoked for poor environmental standards.
The Malaysian family which owns a $50 million majority stake in New Zealand King Salmon has restructured the ownership of its salmon farms to its New Zealand-based Oregon Group, which last year reported a profit of $90.1m.
The Tiong family, whose patriarch Hiew King Tiong was estimated by Forbes magazine last March to have a net worth of US$1.8 billion (NZ$2.2b), based on media, palm oil and timber interests, has owned the company for years. But an Overseas Investment Office decision said it had shifted the ownership back to New Zealand-based Oregon Group, from another Malaysia-based company, in a proposal to restructure its salmon farming interests.
Oregon Group is the parent of one of New Zealand’s largest forestry companies Ernslaw One, which owns about 100,000 hectares of forest estate planted mainly in radiata pine and douglas fir.”
https://www.stuff.co.nz/business/industries/10220816/King-Salmon-ownership-restructured
“Now they are seeking nearly 1800ha of public water space in the outer Marlborough Sounds for free, in a bold venture for an “open ocean” farm on a scale never attempted before in New Zealand. Yet they were surprised when the Department of Conservation, iwi and environmental groups objected to the proposal. ”
“NZ King Salmon occupies and uses this public water space for free. It does not pay rates or an occupancy charge. Instead, Marlborough ratepayers cover the cost of monitoring the wider environmental effects of the farms.
In Norway, a company such as NZ King Salmon would have to bid to buy a one-off licence to farm an ocean site. Based on a 2018 auction, the Cape Lambert application would equate to $300 million under the Norwegian system.”
https://www.newsroom.co.nz/greenroom/the-battle-for-a-prized-piece-of-ocean?fbclid=IwAR3GYCZJnjjTV74YfWu4cQdUGepW5j5UbhCv-iwwcHIpcOw19TxsYpnIZl0
How to solve poverty in NZ, start charging corporations using NZ assets for free! Stop bankrupted our future selling off our resources to overseas business interests!
A excellent post SaveNZ — Corruption, money laundering and crime walks hand in hand with environmental destruction.
Economic Apartheid creates two classes of people ,,,, Immunity from Normal criminal law and justice,,,, is applied by non-application to the ‘worth heaps’ class ,,,
severe punishment discrimination and bullshit is applied to the lower class of people, called ‘The vast Majority’ of New Zealanders ,,, and normal good people everywhere in the world who are hurt in this international system.
Choosing to fight corruption helps ‘The Majority’ of people ,,,everywhere.
The non-application of our proceeds of crime act against “The Timber Mafia” who have laundered themselves into large ownership of NZ land and timber ,,, is a disgrace to our police, our Politicians and the Justice system.
“While Taib and his family members have personally profited immensely from the destruction of the Borneo rainforest through logging and oil palm plantations, Sarawak’s indigenous communities have lost their land, the source of their livelihood and have been increasingly marginalized.
Taib and his family members have illegally acquired assets worth billions of dollars in Malaysia, Canada, the UK, Australia, the United States and other countries. ” + New Zealand
New Zealands non corrupt status must have been attained by judging us against other crime protection rackets ‘.
Doing ‘the right thing’, being kind to victims of crime, real actions versus hollow words ,,,,would take away the rewards of destroying the environment ,,,
Fighting crime in this instance would provide free resources to go towards fixing our housing failure ,,,
Ongoing collusion with open secret criminality ,,, represents the kinder face of bent,,, Although as a sign of compassion and empathy our PM could wear tree bark in sympathy to all the victims of the ongoing ‘Greed Crimes’ she is apparently powerless to stop. Malaysian Colonialism in Papua New Guinea https://youtu.be/zmIQ5Yo561A
https://www.bruno-manser.ch/en/projects-and-campaigns/corruption-in-the-tropical-timber-trade/
Finally regarding our PM and her symbolic climate stunt politics ..
New Zealand is powerless to clean up the worlds pollution going into our worlds atmosphere …
But We are the ONLY ones who can fix the fresh water pollution and it’s ecocide catastrophic going on in our own country.
Color me Cynical , but Choosing ‘to act’ on environmental issues seems to be just that.,,,
I’d prefer work on something we can have a 100% real and positive effect on.
Our main contribution to combating world wide climate change ,,, would be to stop facilitating the associated money laundering and corruption that goes on with the deforestation of Malaysia , the destruction of the Amazon et etc etc.
I nominate Jacinda for a Obama award ,,, best actor in the false hope category.
The nuclear moment of our time. Shame for your side the delivery resembles more like an Iraqi Scud….
Can’t wait till late 2023 when the Blairite and BMW Jimmy have to explain why emissions are still going up.
Its an emergency because meanwhile, real estate and rents just went up another 2% and the “living under the stars” option for the less well off citizens and families just got more real.
This silly housing crisis thing isn’t going away guys!
But at least they know how to prioritise.
Today, Climate Minister Shaw requested that persons on the appropriate gender spectrum not have to wear ties in Parliament. Good one, James. Empathising with the tieless, are we? Good one. How about shoeless ?
Finally something me and BMW Jimmy agree on! Why you have to have a self-tied noose around your neck to sit in the debating chamber is one of life’s mysteries. It’s not as if we demand females to wear corsets in parliament.
Frank – so how come you know what upholstery female MP’s wear ? But it can only damage their livers and offal, whereas a tie can be used as a weapon of destruction against the wearer, and James may have reason to think that someone might want to strangle him, and be reluctant to provide the means.
Fact: Some men look ok without ties, some look almost dashing, and some just look slobs- John Key in his golf shirt T can look a bit slovenly.Keep them in ties and protect the aesthetics of the place – as far as poss with party colour coding,
bad taste, and blatantly vicious birthday presents.
Royal commission in to Chch released to powers that be today, containing no doubt government agency failure at more than one level.
Look! Over there! Climate something something !
This majority Govt. is hostile to the bottom 50% of New Zealanders, accept it, and do something to try and change that fact.
I actually support declaring a climate emergency-what was that N.I. town caught in a “once in 250 year flood” again?-people’s thinking needs to change on Climate Disaster, but it may not be a major concern for those battling sadistic Case managers at MSD, or sleeping in Caravans!
The Greens should realise that Labour needs the Green more than the Greens need Labour. Labour will more than likely need coalition partners in 2023 . The Greens should get out of their curre t arrangement with Labour as it is costing the Greens dearly. The Greens are looking like a star struct novice coat tailing on Labour’s success at the polls. There appears to be many who voted for Labour who are already disappointed at Labour stance on a number od issues, capital gains tax, the handling of child poverty , the run away property market and the cannabis referendum . There just doesn’t seem to be any real depth to Labour other than the Covid response, if they carry on governing as they are they will lose the next election and the Greens will suffer by their association .
yes.
lol – who gets to go in the undersea city? ejected into space?
deep earth habitats
Nz govt announces a decade more petrol for police cars. Biggest fleet investment goes to …. carbon
Never forget that we live in an Orwellian society, in which ‘War is Peace’, ‘Freedom is Slavery’, and ‘Ignorance is Strength’…..especially the last one at the moment.
So, declaring a Climate Emergency equates with building more roads, committing to increased road transport, keeping speed limits high, promoting more international trade, and attempting to restart tourism, whilst operating a consumer society that describes more-of and bigger-than as progress, and which rewards destruction of the environment….even subsidises it. And let’s not forget all the money-printing directed at stimulating CO2 emissions.
And people actually voted for the clowns who now mislead us (continue to mislead us).
Okay, all the alternatives in mainstream politics -National, Act, NZF- were worse than Labour-Green, so that’s why. I get that bit.
But to expect these clowns, these saboteurs of the future, to actually do something sensible -like promoting Permaculture and Powerdown- really is asking too much.
Daily CO2
Nov. 25, 2020: 413.12 ppm
Nov. 25, 2019: 410.46 ppm
1830hrs Nov 27th 2020 – 409.6 ppm – Source NIWA
I am not sure what your point is.
That CO2 levels in the Southern Hemisphere tend to be lower than in the Northern?
That different organisations monitor in different locations and get different results?
The observatory at Mona Loa is noted for being very elevated and in a location remote from major sources of CO2.
From the Scripps Institute graphs we see that atmospheric CO2 will be around 420 ppm next May, since it is rising by around 2.7 ppm per annum:
https://sioweb.ucsd.edu/programs/keelingcurve/wp-content/plugins/sio-bluemoon/graphs/mlo_two_years.png
That will be around 190 ppm above the long term average of 230 ppm.
https://sioweb.ucsd.edu/programs/keelingcurve/wp-content/plugins/sio-bluemoon/graphs/co2_800k.png
Of course, if you were to monitor in the heart of a major city or next to a blast furnace you’d get atmospheric CO2 readings of over well 1000 ppm.
Ardern is aiming to hold onto the more than 400,000 formerly National voters that swung her way this last election. Shes not interested in our petty squabbles. The media love her, the middle adore her, so why would she rock the boat?
Looks good at the UN. What else matters?
Adern feels the need to subsidise destruction of the environment and subsidise conversion of fossil fuel into dangerous pollution whilst contemplating the climate emergency:
‘HIGH COST OF KEEPING PLANES IN THE AIR
Air New Zealand has been awarded four months of additional cargo flights under the Government’s International Air Freight Capacity (IAFC) scheme. This comes after the Government announced Phase Two of the IAFC scheme which runs from 1 December 2020 through to 31 March 2021. Under the scheme, the Government provides financial assistance to all airlines that are awarded flights under the IAFC to support the cost of flying, thereby ensuring continuity for aviation freight in and out of New Zealand. Air New Zealand has now been awarded an average of 55 flights per week. The Government financial support for these flights is expected to contribute between $100 million and $145 million towards Air New Zealand’s cargo revenue over the four month period.’
https://www.interest.co.nz/news/108160/review-things-you-need-know-you-go-home-friday-more-td-cuts-consumer-confidence-low
Announcing the first steps to transition the capital out of Wellington because of sea level rise would be something that might wake everyone up.
It’s at least a twenty year project so be good to start now.
The only trouble with that suggestion is that it does not comply with the culture of denial of reality that pervades politics and business.
It’s much more likely that the politicians would authorise construction of road tunnels that have entrances only centimtres above current high tide, and support further development of waterfront that is similarly only centimetres above current high tide.
Designating land less than 5 metres above sea level as due-to-be-inundated would be bad for business.
Current atmospheric 400+ ppm CO2 corresponds with about 25 metres of sea level rise. It is only a matter of time.
Save us from the climate monster Jacinda (maybe lock us down to save granny earth?)! This story is in the same category as Mr Pope liking that bikini Instagram pic, but the Mr Pope story probably got more interest
Chill Jacinda chill. Clarke doesn’t look too worried by rising sea levels (people could maybe just move in this unlikely event) or rise in CO2 (which would actually BENEFIT plant life) by the looks of his laughing and cheering at sea and at luxury lodges catching the fish of the day.
What a work is man (sic)*
In action how like an angel,
In perception how like a God.
Shakespeare
With human beings perception is everything.
The calling of a climate emergency by the government is a positive move in the right direction, it is easy to regard it as not being enough, (and it isn’t), but with human beings perception is everything.
Calling a climate emergency is building a narrative. Once we have a narrative officially confirmed we become angels in action that Shakespeare spoke of. How dare the forces of right wing reaction oppose popular protestss against opening new coal mines, or expanding fracking and deep sea oil drilling?
Would a National led administration have called a ‘Climate Emergency’?
Not on your life!
In the battle of ideas the forces of of political right wing reaction are always ready and waiting, ready to any take advantage to change the narrative. Officially confirming a climate emergency makes it harder for them to do this.
Given half a chance, these reactionary forces can and will change the narrative against the interests of the majority of the people to the minority interests of the rich and powerful, especially the fossil fuel lobby.
*Dated medieval reference. I don’t believe Shakespeare was deliberately trying to exclude
women as acting like angels.
In keeping with our more enlightened inclusive times if he was writing today Shakespeare may even have written; What a work is mankind. But who knows, as a product of his time, Shakespeare may have been a misogynist bigot, deliberately excluding women. Apart from that I think we can all agree with the sentiment he was trying to express.
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