Another report that clearly states how damaging farming is for our environment has been released, is it time to end big Dairy in NZ?
Another report that clearly states how damaging farming is for our environment has been released…
Major report: What we’ve done to NZ’s landscape
Nearly 200 million tonnes of soil are being lost in New Zealand every year – an out-of-sight problem that could pose far-reaching consequences for our environment and economy.A major Government report out this morning also found nearly half of that loss was coming from pastures, at a time when dairy intensification was packing more cows into paddocks.
The quality and quantity of soil is crucial to the overall health of our land and wider environment, storing water, carbon and nutrients, growing food, breaking down contaminants and hosting an abundance of species.
It’s also vital for our economy: half of New Zealand’s export earnings come from primary industries that use half of our land and depend on productive soils.
…so is it time to end big Dairy in NZ?
Environmentally big Dairy steal water, pollute water and create enormous amounts of green house gases which are adding to a dangerous warming of the planet.
This chart tells us we can’t keep warming the planet.
Politically big Dairy gain too much power by running their own Political Party in the form of the National Party to pass policy in their interests and not for NZs wider interests and because we are so dependent on China for this industry, that brings an economic dependence that is dangerous.
Economically it makes no sense to continue investing in big Dairy when synthetic milk and meat are on the horizon.
We can allow organic Dairy to continue which is a far less intensive and damaging to create boutique product, but intensive farming and the influence big Dairy has over our economy, politics and environment must be ended.
We need to start transitioning away from Dairy towards forestry and more fruit and vegetable production but that requires an active Government who is prepared to incentivise the change over. The new Government have shown they can stand up to the road lobby and big oil, can Jacinda stand up against big fairy?
It has to happen, this report is disquieting in its confirmation of the environmental degradation that is occurring primarily because of how cows are farmed, polluting the water and ruining the soil…it would be foolish to ignore and not act on this reports findings, especially since the finger is clearly pointing at what is causing it, and the rate the damage has been occurring since 2000
And can the government stand up for hemp farming to replace unsustainable pastoral farming?
Big fairy? Jacinda might be able to stand up to big dairy, but not sure about this big fairy
There is no long-term planning in NZ and all policy is geared to attempting to perpetuate dysfunctional systems and dysfunctional practices that are both unsustainable and damaging.
Major policies are focused on converting that which is sustainable or semi-sustainable into that which is totally unsustainable, e.g. converting agricultural land into suburbia and shopping complexes. The ravaging of the future is described by politicians and bureaucrats as ‘sustainable development’.
Vested interest groups have a stranglehold on policy at the national level and at the local level, and the situation is so bad there is no public debate about anything that matters because censorship is employed to silence dissent.
Anyone who challenges the mantra of economic growth, corporatised sport, ‘sustainable development’ or any other aspect of the nonsense we are constantly served up is vilified, both by the corporate media and by the uninformed masses.
The meltdown of the planet will continue because no government has the desire to escape from the progress trap we are in and no politician has the spine necessary to tell the truth. And since politicians are professional liars, the only real difference between any of the parties is the size and frequency of the lies.
Governments exist to accommodate the agendas of banks and corporations and opportunists, not to tell the general populace the truth. So there is no public debate about anything that matters.
Atmospheric CO2 is currently about 411 ppm
https://scripps.ucsd.edu/programs/keelingcurve/wp-content/plugins/sio-bluemoon/graphs/mlo_two_years.png
and will reach 412 ppm or 413 ppm before northern hemisphere photosynthesis brings about a seasonal, temporary reduction. In 2019 all figures will be commensurately higher.
Executives of corporations will continue to be paid huge salaries for wrecking the future, politicians will continue to draw huge salaries for wrecking the future, and the ignorant masses will remain ignorant because the lies -from politicians, corporate leaders and the media etc.- will continue.
At some point (and no one knows when) the entire global economy will go into its inevitable death spiral, due to energy depletion, destruction of the environment that supports it, and unravelling of the Ponzi financial system.
Further to that awful-looking global ice cover set of graphs:
‘Study reveals new Antarctic process contributing to sea level rise and climate change
Date: April 18, 2018
Source: University of Tasmania
Summary: A new study has revealed a previously undocumented process where melting glacial ice sheets change the ocean in a way that further accelerates the rate of ice melt and sea level rise. The research found that glacial meltwater makes the ocean’s surface layer less salty and more buoyant, preventing deep mixing in winter and allowing warm water at depth to retain its heat and further melt glaciers from below.’
https://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2018/04/180418141520.htm