Category: Climate science

The Anti-Science of the Republican Party Terrifies

Paul Krugman in a New York Times column on Sunday gave voice to the fear that must haunt any aware observer of the anti-science tide currently sweeping through the American Republican party. “It should terrify us,” were his words. I’m not an American, but it certainly terrifies me, all the more for the recognisable lineaments which seem to be manifesting themselves in the Australian right and are unmistakeable in the New Zealand ACT party which is in coalition with the government and apparently welcome back next time.

Krugman looks at two serious contenders for the Republican party nomination to run for President, Rick Perry and Mitt Romney. Continue reading “The Anti-Science of the Republican Party Terrifies”

New Opencast Mine Permitted

News today that resource consent has been granted to Perth-based company Bathurst Resources for opencast coal mining on 200 hectares in the Mt Rochfort Conservation Area on Denniston Plateau, northeast of Westport. It will become New Zealand’s second largest opencast coal mine after Solid Energy’s nearby Stockton mine.

The commissioners said that the consent was granted “not without some considerable reservations and anguish” and that they “do not wish to provide any indication that future consents will be granted to undertake further mining in this area.” But the economic benefits easily carried the day:

“The most and almost overwhelming factor that we had to consider is the enormous financial benefit that the mine will bring to the Buller district and the West Coast region.” Continue reading “New Opencast Mine Permitted”

SOS Roadshow Still Travelling

The last time we reported on the Jim Salinger, Rod Oram and Caroline Saunders roadshow was after their Hamilton visit in July which I attended. They haven’t finished yet, and their itinerary for September to November is posted below. Jim Salinger comments on their visits since they were in Hamilton:

“Since our Bay of Plenty/Waikato tour we have been to a few places in the South Island with great reception. First up was Tasman District and we had an enthusiastic audience of 110 at Siegfried Estate, near Richmond, followed by 60 in Nelson (we were competing with three other events going on concurrently in Nelson!). This was followed the next day by 60
in Masterton. Then the following week we spoke in Timaru to an audience of 160 – our best yet. By the time we have finished the roadshow we will have given 33 presentation presentations throughout New Zealand.”

The Nelson Mail reported their message in terms of the need for cities and businesses to focus on sustainability and innovation in order to survive and combat climate change. It’s an impressive service the three are providing, spreading out across the country and speaking in terms relevant to New Zealand and to the region they are visiting. Continue reading “SOS Roadshow Still Travelling”

Thinking Old-Style Big

A full page feature recently appeared in the Waikato Times in which Press journalist John McCrone interviewed Solid Energy CEO Don Elder on the Southland lignite proposals. It was a thoughtful piece of journalism, and I wish I could provide a link to it but it doesn’t seem to have appeared on the Stuff website. It provided a good overview of the thinking behind Solid Energy’s pursuit of lignite development, along with objections levelled against it. I’ve already written on the question but it’s important enough to keep returning to.

Lignite is big. Briquetting should be under way next year in a factory which has been consented by Environment Southland. Hospitals, commercial greenhouses and Fonterra are expected customers. But that’s just a groundbreaker. On the drawing board is a phase two briquetting plant that will be ten times larger. Continue reading “Thinking Old-Style Big”

Why Tar Sands Must Stay in the Ground

After drawing attention to climatologist Jason Box’s intention to take part in the act of civil disobedience planned at Washington over the next fortnight, I thought it might be useful to underline why the proposed Keystone XL pipeline, which will carry crude oil from the tar sands of Alberta to refineries in Illinois, Oklahoma and Texas, is so appalling a prospect.  James Hansen puts it plainly in a short paper he issued a couple of months ago. It’s the sheer size of the tar sands resource which makes it alarming. Hansen acknowledges that there are multiple objections to the pipeline, including the destruction of the environment in Canada and the likelihood of spills along the pipeline’s pathway, though thinks it unlikely that these will be enough to stop it going ahead. But it’s the climate change implication which is crucial: Continue reading “Why Tar Sands Must Stay in the Ground”