Earlier this week the government announced changes to climate change policy, with a controversial response to the choice to delay the Carbon Neutral Government Programme benchmark from 2025 to 2050.
The move also shifts dynamics of decision-making and consultation. The government has removed the requirement of advisory from the Climate Change Commission when developing emissions budgets, significantly altering the influence of the cross-partisan collective established through the Zero Carbon Act in 2019.
Producer Jasmine Gray spoke with Adam Currie, Campaigner and Movement Support Manager for climate organisation 350 Aotearoa, about these changes.
This week on Dear Science, Christina and AUT Professor Allan Blackman discussed light therapy as a cancer treatment, the origin of the Black Death, and carbon and nitrogen levels in the sun, as well as a quick detour into astrology and marmots.
Rosetta is driving today! She plays some of her current faves, new and old. She also has a catch up with Nabihah Iqbal before her show at Neck of The Woods tonight, and chats with Chelsea from Skilaa about what the group has been up to. Thanks for tuning in!
The average New Zealander emits over 6 tonnes of carbon dioxide per year, and 1.4 tonnes of this comes from electricity usage. Ecotricity has become the first energy company in Aotearoa to become climate positive certified. In today's Wire Beth spoke to the co-founder and CEO of Ecotricity Al Yates about the company.
The School Strike 4 Climate Action NZ is happening this Friday in Aotea Square, and throughout the rest of the country. This day has been organised by students and helpers for school children to strike from school to show politicians they are taking their futures seriously, and treating climate change for what it is - a crisis. These kids are between 8-18 and their demands include:
Passing an ambitious and effective Zero Carbon Act that gives New Zealand a coherent long term plan to get to carbon neutrality by 2050;
Keeping the effect of global warming and its consequences for all living things on this planet in mind when making decisions for the future;
The paths to reaching our emission targets being fast tracked, well planned and transparent so the New Zealand public is aware that progress is being made and can hold the Government to account;
Ceasing all exploration and extraction of more fossil fuels immediately. We already have more in our reserves than we can afford to burn to avoid catastrophic climate change. We need to invest in renewable energy alternatives now;
Regulating emissions from agriculture, which account for almost half of our emissions, and for which there is currently no plan.
Sophie Handford is one of the young people organising the strike and Lillian Hanly spoke with her to find out more about how these strikes came about given the current Fridays for Future movement in Sweden that was started by Greta Thunberg (and the same in Belgium, just on Thursdays). Thunberg decided she would strike every Friday until the Swedish policies provided a safe pathway well under 2-degrees Celcius, in line with the Paris Agreement. The point behind it is that students are asking what the point is of studying for a future that may not even exist at this point, and why spend a lot of effort to become educated, when our governments are not listening to the educated?
But back to Aotearoa. Sophie was catching a train at the time and during the interview hopped off the train and onto a bus which you’ll hear, Lillian decided to leave this in as a testament to the actioning of alternatives to carbon use.
As climate change is becoming ever more of a concern around the planet, advocacy groups are getting into action. Here in New Zealand, a proposal has been released which aims to see New Zealand carbon free by 2050. Generation Zero has unveiled their Zero Carbon Act, which outlines certain milestones and pathways, which the government should undertake to achieve this target. Adam Jacobson speaks to Generation Zero spokesperson Lisa Mclaren about what the Zero Carbon Act entails and the specific actions proposed.
The Zero Carbon bill passed in Parliament yesterday, with a vote of 119 to one. The landmark bill received cross-party support, however National has expressed some changes they would implement if given the chance, such as reducing the biogenic methane limits. Meanwhile, environmental groups have been criticising the Select Committee report for not taking into account submissions concerning the lack of legal enforceability and fixed methane targets.
Producer Bronwyn Wilde spoke to Kevin Hague, Chief Executive of Forest and Bird, and former member of the Green Party, who was present in Parliament yesterday. He gave us some insight into the kind of debates that were taking place in the House.
He began by expressing his support for the Act, despite noting that it alone isn’t going to reduce carbon emissions.
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