Govt taken to court for ignoring Climate Commission on ETS
Posted: May 10, 2023 Filed under: Other, responses | Tags: Climate Change Commission, ETS, James Shaw, Marc Daalder, Minister of Climate Change, Newsroom Leave a commentNewsroom report from Marc Daalder says the lawyers group is saying the rejection of the Climate Commission recommendations was illegal as the law says the ETS must satisfy the Zero Carbon Act.
Read more: Govt taken to court for ignoring Climate Commission on ETSIt is reasonable to name the Climate Change Minister in the suit, though bizarre in that the Climate Change Minister opposed the cabinet decision.
Is James Shaw now in a position that he should resign as Climate Change Minister?
Is the ETS now in a position to be viewed honestly as being more about ‘trading’ than about ‘climate action’?
Is New Zealand ready to honestly and openly admit that it is acting as a desperate, cringing country deserving of the ‘fossil award’ for the third time?
Govt sidelines Climate Commission in seeking do-over of advice
Posted: April 28, 2024 Filed under: Other, responses | Tags: climate change, exploitation, Garden of Eden, Hebrew Bible, sustainable farming Leave a commentThe methane review lays the groundwork for watering down climate targets while using science as cover for what is ultimately a political decision
by Marc Daalder
Yes, it’s about ‘farming’. Farming is an export industry (sacrosanct in NZ).
Read more: Govt sidelines Climate Commission in seeking do-over of adviceIn the grand cultural history of human civilization agriculture is now often seen as one of the ‘ultimate’ of human exploitative activities on the planet. Even to the point of suggesting that the biblical ‘fall’ in the Hebrew bible (Garden of Eden) is a story telling of the beginning of agriculture.
This new government will have a priority of preserving any and all of such fundamental exploitative activities because exploitation is the primary factor in their social and political philosophy. Further they know that period of history is over as everybody knows that the need to deal with the existential challenges of climate change, etc, rules out an exploitative philosophy.
Letter to the Editor of The Post, Tracy Watkins
Posted: April 25, 2024 Filed under: Letters | Tags: Reading Cinema, Simeon Brown, The Post, Tracey Watkins, tunnel desperation, WCC Leave a commentHello Editor,
The Reading Cinema deal is the most divisive issue? Come on. Why do you have so little respect for the people of Wellington. That’s easy; just tax them.
The biggest issue is the bizarre and destructive efforts of the new government led by Simeon Brown in transport. From the desperate tunnel to Kilbirnie to the worst thing that could happen to Wellington, namely another traffic tunnel under Mt Victoria, Brown is one out of control dude. It’s not even the government’s decision about this. The WCC council has made decisions and will continue to make decisions about transport.
It’s so transparent that you are just trying to attack the mayor.
Sincerely,
Richard Keller
Lyall Bay, Wellington
Security alliances need loftier goals
Posted: April 21, 2024 Filed under: Other, submissions | Tags: climate change, disaster relief, exploitation mentality, NATO, Newsroom, nuclear deterance, NZ military, peter dunne, Ukraine war Leave a commentThe new security alliance framework of an NZ-specific Nato partnership agreement and Aukus Pillar Two membership must be more than simply a containment exercise against Russia or China
by Peter Dunne
My take: Aotearoa / New Zealand needs disaster relief capability of its land, air and sea forces. No military fighting unit is necessary.
Read more: Security alliances need loftier goalsIt was so astoundingly quiet how easily former PM Jacinda Ardern slid New Zealand back into the old alliance mentality (NATO) in relation to the Russian / Ukraine conflict. Instead of so shallowly looking backward as that we should be looking at the future. A future oriented foreign policy will not include a military fighting force but will be focused on climate change and nuclear disarmament. Given that, it is easy to see how much domestic policy is intimately related to foreign policy. Thie new government is purposely trying to destroy the capability of moving into this new world as they understand and are terrified by the knowledge that their exploitative philosophy is anachronistic in today’s world.
NZ’s foreign policy shift adds to piling flashpoints
Posted: April 21, 2024 Filed under: Other, responses | Tags: 'who we are', colonialism, Donald Trump, exploitation mentality, Jacinda Ardern, Mosque shootings, NATO, Newsroom, nuclear deterrence, nuclear suicide, Rob Campbell Leave a commentAs the new Government moves New Zealand more clearly into the American camp, we risk further division as a country – and must challenge efforts to enmesh us in alliances against our interests.
by Rob Campbell
I pick only one point from Rob Campbell’s terrific statement to comment on – Jacinda Ardern (remember her?)
Read more: NZ’s foreign policy shift adds to piling flashpoints‘while engaging in flirting – if not foreplay – with Nato in Europe.’
Up to now, since the Labour Party with Jacinda Ardern became the previous government, this country’s biggest problem has been that PM’s unthinking instinct to support NATO, a very aggressive militaristic organization. It was based on the PM’s understanding of ‘who we are’ as a people and our history. Remember that the PM’s response to the mosque massacre was ‘this is not who we are’. Fair enough assertion in that circumstance, though over the following weeks and months there was much welcome discussion about the colonialist nature of our history. But undoubtedly ‘who we are’ was fundamentally important to that PM. And when she realized that her understanding was incorrect, she resigned. So I think your description of ‘flirting, or ‘foreplay’, while clever and to a point insightful, is not personal enough to that PM to get at the best description.
Now we have a new government which has a better understanding of the shallow and dangerous nature of that understanding of our history because it reflects its own exploitation ideology. They instinctively understand that that philosophy will not be workable in the future so they know this is their last chance to implement it. And, of course, it is global, not just here and not just in the person of Donald Trump. This leaves a civilization, aware of the need to fundamentally change, rudderless and with weapons available to end it all.
This clear view reveals that it would not be unrealistic to call this a global suicide pact. There is no such thing as ‘nuclear deterrence’ and there never has been – it’s a figment of a collective insanity.
Submission on the Fast Track Bill
Posted: April 17, 2024 Filed under: Other, submissions | Tags: Fast Track Bill, ministerial override, submission Leave a commentThe Fast Track Bill
April, 2024
Submission from:
Richard Keller, rwk.trip11@gmail.com, lettersbyrwk.wordpress.com
There is still time today (Thursday) and tomorrow (Friday) to submit. Link to submission form required:
Read more: Submission on the Fast Track BillThere is a context for this bill which must be acknowledged:
The current new government is the angriest and most desperate government this country has ever had. That they want everyone to know is openly seen in the section giving three ministers the capability to override science and other experts. Even override other ministers of their own government, asking them to bow down to the god of exploitation.
I ask you to reject this bill, and:
- Remove ministerial override: Decision making should be based on science and evidence, not politics. Ministers should be bound by the decisions of expert panels rather than which special interest groups lobby the hardest.
- Protect New Zealanders’ rights: People should be able have input into developments in their communities. This anti-democratic law isn’t needed because the Government can already use existing fast-track procedures for infrastructure projects.
- Keep environmental protections: Our climate and our environment are at breaking point, and New Zealand already has the highest proportion of threatened species in the world. To bring back a flourishing natural world, we need decision making to abide by our current conservation and environmental laws, rather than prioritising economic development at any environmental cost.
- Remove damaging projects: Coal mines on conservation land, huge dams that flood forests and fish farms in already damaged oceans should not be able to be able to bypass environmental laws, especially if they’ve already been turned down by the courts.
New Wellington tunnel: ‘An astonishing misunderstanding of transport priorities’ – Newsroom
Posted: April 16, 2024 Filed under: Other, responses | Tags: climate change, mode shift, Newsroom, Simeon Brown, traffic tunnel, tunnels Leave a commentThe reason the new government is interested in this proposal (tunnel from city to east) is because it is a ‘road’.
Read more: New Wellington tunnel: ‘An astonishing misunderstanding of transport priorities’ – NewsroomAnother ‘glorious road’, so to speak. After all the reasonable talk about ‘mode shift’ over the last few years (few decades, really) these angry desperadoes have become obsessed with trashing rail and any other low carbon transport alternatives.
Air NZ calls for Govt mandates to drive sustainable fuel use – Newsroom
Posted: April 15, 2024 Filed under: Other, responses | Tags: Air New Zealand, Climate Change Commission, Laura Walters, Newsroom, sustainability 2 CommentsSAF (sustainable aviation fuel) is a fantasy.
Read more: Air NZ calls for Govt mandates to drive sustainable fuel use – NewsroomThe definition of the term will probably adjust over the years but as of now it is clearly GAS (‘grasping at straws’). Yes, thanks to ANZ (Air New Zealand) for suggesting ‘international aviation should be brought into the net zero 2050 commitment’, but that may open up a COW (can of worms) as the desperate hopes of today become increasingly seen as OC (overly challenging).
No, I’m not an aviation fuel scientist, but such sources can be found if one wants to look.
The Threat to the Central Library – Gordon Campbell – Scoop Wellington (3 April)
Posted: April 13, 2024 Filed under: Other, responses | Tags: Christchurch, gordon campbell, Kaikoura earthquake, neo-liberal, public library, Scoop, Scoop Wellington, WCC Leave a commentMy take is to remember that the Library was closed even though there was no damage.
Read more: The Threat to the Central Library – Gordon Campbell – Scoop Wellington (3 April)There was no damage to the Library from the Christchurch or Kaikoura earthquakes. Closing it was irresponsible. Perhaps they should have put a yellow sticker on it, or a yellow ribbon all around it and reopened it as a gift to the community. Recently other buildings that could use a look and perhaps some change have been left open supposedly because the risk to occupants was low. But no different from the Library.
The reason the WCC closed the library was to set an example of the most community minded asset in the city, that it should be abandoned as a matter of ideology – the neo-liberal desperation so prominent these days. As led by the senior staff of the Council.
Letter to The Post replying to a letter describing the new government as not a typical ‘National’ government
Posted: April 10, 2024 Filed under: Letters | Tags: back on track, Charles Bagnal, climate change, far right ideology, letters to editor, lettersbyrwk, National government, nuclear deterrence, nuclear weapons, Radha Sahar, The Post Leave a commentThe Editor, The Post, Wellington
07/04/ 2024
Dear Editor:
Radha Sahar and Charles Bagnall (Off the track, 5 Apr) suggest the new government is not a real ‘National’ government but one supporting the selfish agenda of the far-right. And at the end they say ‘middle-ground’ National voters should stand up and get the party ‘back on track.’
While hopeful, I don’t think they are characterizing ‘middle’ National voters properly. Yes, this government is pushing far-right agendas. They have formed the most angry, most desperate government this country has ever seen. They know, as we all do, that this far-right agenda brings no prospect of a future ready to take on the existential challenges of climate change, nuclear weapons, and generally the global overshoot of our ecosystems by human civilization.
Actually, this triumvirate of parties has never tried to hide their anger and desperation against reality, bulldozing progress (“get NZ back on track”), and there is no reason to think that voters haven’t voted for that and haven’t got what they wanted. This desperation is very shallow, certainly, and it may not last, but let’s call it what is right now for the sake of clarity and honesty.
Sincerely,
Richard Keller
lettersbyrwk 