Wednesday, March 28, 2007

Climate Knee-jerks

I didn't really want to post this but I've come to the conclusion that if I don't say it somewhere I'll burst! New Zealand's approach to climate change strategy is being driven by politicians who want to grandstand not because they are concerned for the welfare of either the planet or our people.
Take the Greens nut-so idea that farmers should buy carbon permits for the Government. Are they mad? Why should our farmers pay European taxes? They don't get European subsidies so why should they face European costs? Even their farmers don't do that!
All that clever idea would do is completely bugger our only effective export industry.
I have similarly little time for those in very large companies who are all in favour of carbon trading. Carbon trading schemes are not about abatement at least marginal cost. They are about abatement by profitability. Operations that are less profitable simply can't afford to take part in carbon trading. So while Meridian with its zillion dollar special dividends ($800 million last year boys and girls) derived from scarce hydro water, can afford to play poker with the big boys the Hutt Valley municipal landfill cannot.
I won't comment here on the silly ideas that get put up on Government websites relating to transport other than to say they are dreamt up by Wellington based policy analysts who have very little real experience of the world.
Ultimately New Zealand should not have a problem with climate change. We can easily absorb more Greenhouse Gas than we produce - even including agricultural methane. The only problem with that is the English who violently resent that approach because it devalues their "hot air" (the difference between the CO2 emissions they made in 1990 because they burnt coal and the CO2 emissions they make now because they burn gas and uranium). These are the same people who will encourage the world to buy biofuels from poor nations which level the rainforests in order to grow sugar ( because biofuels don't count against the burners tally only the growers). The English are doing their best to secure maximum economic advantage for their hot air by talking up climate change. They are doing bugger all to actually increase their capacity to absorb Greenhouse gases.
Anyway I've ranted on enough. If you want to read the full study take a look here:
http://docs.google.com/Doc?id=dgqr7g6m_25xq23qs

kia ora

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