Hansen’s righteous cause

by Bryan Walker April 19, 2012

The latest communication from James Hansen to his email list this week was a sharp reminder that the New Zealand Government’s commitment to the pursuit of unexploited fossil fuels is part of widespread malpractice. The global stampede to find every possible fossil fuel is not being opposed by governments, no matter how dirty the fuels [...]

4 comments Read the full article →

Asking the hard questions

by Bryan Walker April 17, 2012

I watched TVNZ’s Q+A on Sunday with dismay.  Phil Heatley, the Minister of Energy and Resources, was interviewed about the New Zealand government’s intention to increase oil, gas and coal exploration and mining. The emphasis of the interview was on the environmental issues, yet not a word was said about greenhouse gases or climate change. [...]

69 comments Read the full article →

Cuckoo cocoon (Prat Watch #5.5)

by Gareth April 16, 2012

Something stirred inside the carefully cultivated cocoon of ignorance at Richard Treadgold’s Climate “Conversation” blog, but I don’t think it was the butterfly of understanding preparing to inflate its wings. Something much more subterranean, I suspect. Needled by my post about said cocoon (namely, Treadgold’s insistence that “global warming has not happened for about 15 [...]

143 comments Read the full article →

Weakened NZ ETS not responsible economic management

by Bryan Walker April 13, 2012

Tim Groser, the new Minister for Climate Change Issues, is adamant in his defence of the intention to further delay bringing the agricultural sector into the Emissions Trading Scheme beyond the current date of 2015 unless there are adequate abatement options open to them by then and unless other countries step up to the mark [...]

0 comments Read the full article →

NZ ETS to be watered down (again), but emissions news good

by Gareth April 12, 2012

New Zealand’s new Minister for Climate Change Issues and chief climate negotiator, Tim Groser, yesterday announced the government’s intended changes to the Emissions Trading Scheme following last years ETS Review. There will be a limited period for consultation (to May 11) on the proposals before legislation is put before Parliament. The consultation document (PDF) and [...]

3 comments Read the full article →

The shape of wind to come

by Bryan Walker April 11, 2012

The NZ Wind Energy Association (NZWEA) has a published a new report setting out their vision for the coming years, Wind Energy 2030: the growing role for Wind Energy in New Zealand’s electricity system (PDF). It reiterates their expectation that by 2030 wind energy will be supplying 20 percent of our electricity. This is double [...]

74 comments Read the full article →

Hansen’s letter on lignite

by Bryan Walker April 7, 2012

At the suggestion of Slovenian colleagues, James Hansen has written to the President and members of the National Assembly of the Republic of Slovenia urging them to deny a state guarantee for a proposed European Investment Bank loan to fund a new lignite-fired power plant in their country. He points out that they are considering [...]

0 comments Read the full article →

Prat watch #6: My coup runneth over

by Gareth April 4, 2012

Courtesy of the ever-helpful NZ Climate “Science” Coalition — you know, the guys who take money from American think tanks and found “charities” to sue scientists — I stumble on a remarkable exposition of the world view to which they subscribe. Apparently, “Climate criminals almost took control of the whole world by deception, a grand [...]

52 comments Read the full article →

How to talk to a denier

by Gareth April 3, 2012

This interesting new video by George Marshall from Talking Climate discusses how to talk to someone who doesn’t accept the reality of climate change or the need to act, and how best to start persuading them that they might be in error. From the Talking Climate blog post: George emphasises that argument, conflict, and dis­respectful [...]

16 comments Read the full article →

Ignoring the future? Sea level rise and NZ’s planning guidelines

by Bryan Walker April 2, 2012

A question-time exchange in the New Zealand Parliament a few days ago seemed worth drawing to the attention of Hot Topic’s readers. Green MP Kennedy Graham (pictured) put this question to the Minister for Climate Change Issues: Is he concerned by a recent report of an international team of scientists that, even with a two [...]

12 comments Read the full article →

← Previous Entries

Next Entries →