Climate budgets: reckons, responses and raruraru
A few pointers to find the good stuff (and cut through some screeching) on the Climate Commission’s draft budgets for reducing our greenhouse gas emissions.
Just quickly: as Talk Wellington readers we’ll assume you are sensible types so will share this view below : The big, systemic changes NZ will need to make to reduce emissions are mostly ones we should have made ages ago, but have been putting off.
If it takes climate response to galvanise us into making a more efficient, fairer, more productive, more sustainable and more resilient nation, fine, whatever!
So, pointers:
Newsroom’s Marc Daalder is doing consistently excellent work on this. (We also enjoy continued follow-up on boring but important things (like why accountants’ and aromatherapists’ work vehicles are now …big new 4WD double-cab utes).
Stuff’s Forever Project is also excellent reading. Their stable of journalists covering transport, landuse, housing (all the biggest levers for Wellington’s emissions reduction) are continuing the trend we started to see a few years back, helped by the addition of people like Joel McManus. They’re becoming more switched-on, less clickbaiting, and generally doing better as the fourth estate, helping us the public have better discussions and make better decisions.
NZ’s carbon budgets: our path to zero
Here it is, handily chopped up.
This advice is a vital step in us actually doing something meaningful, after decades and decades of going “Ooh yes very important…” *crickets chirping in the silence, while the seas rise.
What’s it about? Should we trust it?
These articles are good for getting a picture of the Climate Commission’s mahi, in context of what others are up to (or not).
One area we think they’ve got it wrong is on transport (oh just that little thing). Greater Auckland have made a close analysis and been disappointed by “the unambitious position the commission has taken on the role of mode-shift in meeting our targets. In fact in some cases, their suggestions would mean we’d have to slow down the growth of non-car modes.”
It boils down to some Commissioners thinking that the “social acceptability” of climate-friendly transport is going to be oh-noes-too-hard in New Zealand, and other Commissioners thinking Kiwis are no less competent and intelligent than other countries and can just get on with it. The GA piece is worth a read.
I heard So-and-So on the radio and now I’m doubting it all…
Many media folks are doing some pretty unhelpful takes. Some lovelies are trying to discredit the whole undertaking, and/or disseminate climate-change scepticism, while others are just getting distracted and/or confused by side issues. While often admitting in the same breath that they haven’t even looked at the report’s headings or even its summary.
Mediawatch has done a really useful overview that helps us all be discerning. You may enjoy Federated Farmers’ Andrew Hoggard bringing some facts to some daftness put out as truth by talkback hosts.
And lastly: put in your diary the deadline for public submissions on the Climate Commission’s budgets, closing 14th March.
We’ll be providing some submissions guidance as always.
But to be honest, the TL;DR is pretty simple: Yes, Support, Get on with it!
Image credit: Wellington School Strike 4 Climate (first march), Alex McGibbon
Petone traffic – Kevin Stent / Stuff
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