The Wire with Caeden

The United Nations' highest court, the International Court of Justice, recently issued an advisory opinion saying that Israel’s presence in the occupied Palestinian territories was illegal, that Israel needed to dismantle its settlements and pay reparations to the Palestinians and that all ICJ member states should cooperate  to bring an end to Israel’s occupation. 

Oto spoke to John Minto, chairman of Palestine Solidarity Network Aotearoa, to discuss the ICJ ruling, as well as New Zealand’s responsibilities as a member state.

On Wednesday the 17th of July, the government opened submissions on the second Emissions Reduction Plan.

The Emissions Reduction Plan outlines the steps the government intends to take to meet its emission budgets.

This second Emissions Reduction Plan will lay out the government’s climate plans from 2026-2030.

The plan includes initiatives such as setting a target of 10,000 electric vehicle chargers by 2030, investigating carbon capture and storage, and improving organic waste and landfill gas capture.

However, the draft has received criticism from climate experts for not being ambitious enough in it’s initiatives to reduce emissions.

Producer Josef spoke with Ralph Sims, Professor Emeritus of Sustainable Energy and Climate Mitigation at Massey University, about the draft plan and how he thinks the plan will impact Aotearoa’s emissions reduction efforts.

For more information on the plan and to have your say, you can go to consult.environment.govt.nz, submissions close on the 21st August 2024.

During Prime Minister Christopher Luxon’s visit to the United States, he spoke to several leaders and figures about New Zealand’s relationship with the country. Particularly, he spoke about further aligning and the potential for Aotearoa to join AUKUS. 

In response, former Prime Minister Helen Clark and her political rival Don Brash released statements criticising the move, particularly for its potential impact on Aotearoa’s relationship with China.  

Wire host Castor spoke to Associate Professor in Politics and International Relations at the University of Auckland and Director of the China Studies Centre in the New Zealand Asia Institute, Stephen Noakes, about Aotearoa’s relationship with each of these countries, their value, and how it can be preserved moving forward.

This week on The Wire...

For Dear Science this week, we chatted to Professor Allan Blackman about plants not holding as much carbon as previously thought, low pressure making tea taste worse, and a giant millipede that was thought to be extinct. 

In our weekly catchup with the National Party, Wire host Castor spoke to MP Katie Nimon about the abuse in state care inquiry and the government’s recent instructions to Pharmac. 

He also talked to Associate Professor of Politics and International relations, Stephen Noakes, about New Zealand’s relationship with China. 

And he spoke to Professor Janet Hoek from the University of Otago about the implications of reducing the excise tax on Heated Tobacco Products. 

And producer Josef spoke to Professor Emeritus Ralph Sims about the newly released draft of the second emissions reduction plan.