Comments on: Brownlee’s energy strategy: dig and burn

By: Ramping up renewables « The Standard

Ramping up renewables « The Standard — Sat, 28 Aug 2010 00:04:39 +0000

[...] so before September 2, when submissions on the new draft energy strategy close. Iâ€™ve said elsewhere on Hot Topic what I see as wrong with the draft. Â Simon Boxer of Greenpeace has put it succinctly: [...]

By: MAINly Me

MAINly Me — Tue, 27 Jul 2010 07:57:56 +0000

Call it Freudian, but on first reading I misread the “DRAFT NZ Energy Strategy” as “DAFT NZ Energy Strategy”. Hmmm maybe that’s what MED intended!

By: Dappledwater

Dappledwater — Mon, 26 Jul 2010 02:23:48 +0000

If I was Gerry Brownlee, I’d be extremely concerned if the Japanese and Norwegians ran out of whales to exterminate.

By: Tweets that mention Brownleeâ€™s energy strategy: dig and burn -- Topsy.com

Tweets that mention Brownleeâ€™s energy strategy: dig and burn -- Topsy.com — Mon, 26 Jul 2010 02:17:22 +0000

[...] This post was mentioned on Twitter by Green Party NZ, economicsnz and Joel Wiramu, Pauling, Hot Topic. Hot Topic said: Hot Topic latest: Brownlee's energy strategy: dig and burn – http://bit.ly/di9HTb [...]

By: Gareth

Gareth — Mon, 26 Jul 2010 02:03:23 +0000

I haven’t had time to do more than browse the energy strategy document, but what immediately struck me was the paucity of context provided. Any strategy exists within and is a response to a context – the strategic environment, and this document has next to none. For climate change, it offers (p4):

The international economy will reward efforts to reduce greenhouse gas emissions to address climate change. Energy- related greenhouse gas emissions in New Zealand will reduce in the longer term.

On oil supply:

International oil prices will continue to be volatile and will rise over the longer term. Oil and gas resources will flow to their highest value use.

If that’s the quality of the strategic analysis being done within MED, then I’m speechless. I can only infer (as Bryan does above) that the whole “strategy” is defined by what Brownlee’s deems politically acceptable.

What a waste of time and effort…