Climate shock delaying rate cuts; Govt delays quake remediation by four years; 1,000 Govt jobs cut in a day; 12,000 new aged care beds needed by 2032; Grim prison report; Biden triples China tariffs
Maybe an unfortunate choice of words “…just not quite worth the effort.” There are no alternatives other than reducing fossil fuel use. So any alternative that reduces fossil fuel use has to be worth it (taking into account the production ff used). It’s that simple.
Agree, climate change and its ongoing effect on the holy grail, ie: the neoliberal economy, remains as Al Gore’s ‘inconvenient truth’. It is surely a dereliction of duty to refuse to accept that changes in the way we live today are critical to the well-being of generations to come. Denial or dismissal unacceptable and cowardly.
“So I would say the biggest constraint on investing in alternative energies is the current low cost of fossil fuels. You know that they are always being priced where it makes the alternative just not quite worth the effort.”
As we know, if fossil fuel companies had to include the costs of global warming (the externalities) into the price of their products, they would be far more expensive than the alternatives.
Great pic detail fascinating. Did miss your input Wednesday but plenty to follow in the info you sent especially PM employing so many staff for social media, like to know if some are re employed civil servants sacked by PM government from 'backroom' jobs.
Management takes serious skills which his government seems to lack.
This is something I don't understand - local gov rates are going up yes, but a big part of that is because we're buying more things through local government. We're spending more on water pipe renewals, for example. If my food bill goes up because I buy two apples instead of one apple, that's not inflation in my understanding. That's not something that RBNZ should respond to in any way, they should respond to the cost of one apple. It's the same with insurance - we're paying more but that's because we're paying for two expected rebuilds within 100 years instead of one now. That's not inflation, that's us buying more things! Does the RBNZ take this into account or does it just bluntly say 'rates are up, that's inflation. Not our problem'?
It’s experienced as inflation by ratepayers. They are not getting twice as many pipes or twice the collection of bags. (Actually, it’s half in Auckland AND higher rates). A lot of deferred maintenance.
I accept that there will definitely be a component of the increases that are just the same services for more money and I agree that that's a measure of inflation. But surely if we're paying for 10km of pipe renewals a year instead of 5km (wild guess, for the sake of argument), the component of the increase in rates that is that cost isn't a measure of inflation?
Fascinating that major big Thailand success of C Luxon was tripling trade by 2045, which apparently was happening anyway as it follows current trajectory along with predicted inflation, according to RNZ commentary.
It seems as if the climate crisis has failed to register in NZ’s corridors of power. Though to be fair to Orr he has no control over the other lever of the economy- taxation
We built a machine that creates wealth for those who own it. But in doing so, it devours, fouls, and destroys the environment and all living things. So do we pull the plug on the machine? Silly thinking. As they say, you aren’t in traffic, you are traffic. We are the machine.
To put it another way: ‘We have seen the enemy and it is us’.
We are used to wearing two hats — a green hat and a brown hat. We wear the green hat when we talk about the problems that are impossible to ignore and the actions we believe are necessary to ensure the survival of life on this planet, including our own. We wear the brown hat when we behave in ways that promise short-term individual benefits but, as our green hat selves remind us, ensure our collective destruction. And so we argue amongst ourselves and with ourselves. It’s a contradictory and unproductive existence.
I do have a bachelor degree, but i must say i am finding it hard to understand the message that you are trying to convey Mark. Seems like you are describing.... human beings? We all know alcohol and tobacco is bad for us yet majority of people drink and a lot still smoke. Yes petrol cars are bad for environment, but lake Taupo is nice, so i will drive my family there for the weekend. Is this what you are describing? But we are just human beings. We were never meant to be perfect or rational.
Whenever i feel a bit pessimistic about human kind (and sorry if i sound [patronising) i google to find out what good we are doing around the world, and it makes me feel better. We are cleaning the oceans that we have polluted:
Life expectancy is up, child mortality is down, GDP around the world is growing, number and severity fo natural disasters is reducing. There are lots of things to celebrate. We are our worst enemy, but we are also our own best friend. (sorry the link is a bit old, but the message has not changed)
I'm not sure that the number and severity of natural disasters are decreasing, but Hans Rosling’s message about the many ways our lives have improved is certainly worth keeping in mind. I have already lived longer than the average life expectancy in Western countries before the 1950s.
Your hopeful attitude is healthy. Without hope, where would we be? Optimism is a moral imperative and a practical necessity. As you say, despite our shortcomings, 'we are also our own best friend.' As Sophia Amoruso likes to say, 'Be good to your selfie, and your selfie will be good to you.'
Here is a different view on the "climate crisis" Mark. We need to add a third hat to the suite of hats you referred to above. One brown, one green and one orange may be? For the entrepreneurial and optimistic us who will save us? Bjorn is a force for good!
Opinion pieces often allow for a more persuasive or argumentative style that might not always adhere to the strict citation requirements of academic publishing. However, for topics like climate change, the expectation for well-supported arguments remains high, given the implications of the discussions. Climate scientists and experts base their analyses on detailed data and peer-reviewed research. Like them, I would view articles on climate change that lack robust empirical support and references with skepticism.
Am I the only one who applies a discount factor to comments on this web site which don't have people's full names? I remember signing a letter "mother of nine" when it was possible in letters to the editor. When this was scrapped, I had to be much more responsible with what I wrote. I think, Bernard, that people should have their whole name on this site. I relish each day the comments section. It's thoughtful and often intelligent but I want to know who I might be debating with....
It's a valid point Gary but I think there are multiple legitimate reasons why people might not want to put their full name in the comments section on the internet. For the most part it's not too hard to tell. I started out on all services fairly open. Being male I don't get harassed too much but given it's pretty easy to figure out who people actually are for the most part I felt I didn't need to make my full name complety searchable all the time.
That's just me but I know people have all sorts of reason. Particularly with the enshitifcation of the internet in general.
They’re not perfect markets, yet too many economists assume they are. Assumptions are necessary for models, and need to be considered when models are applied to real life!
True. And i learnt working with models in a different environment - health - that too often you had to ignore chunks of reality in order to select only actions you could measure. Hence reality had to be dispensed with so it is unsurprising when problems persist.
Maybe an unfortunate choice of words “…just not quite worth the effort.” There are no alternatives other than reducing fossil fuel use. So any alternative that reduces fossil fuel use has to be worth it (taking into account the production ff used). It’s that simple.
Agree, climate change and its ongoing effect on the holy grail, ie: the neoliberal economy, remains as Al Gore’s ‘inconvenient truth’. It is surely a dereliction of duty to refuse to accept that changes in the way we live today are critical to the well-being of generations to come. Denial or dismissal unacceptable and cowardly.
This statement from Adrian Orr snagged me.
“So I would say the biggest constraint on investing in alternative energies is the current low cost of fossil fuels. You know that they are always being priced where it makes the alternative just not quite worth the effort.”
As we know, if fossil fuel companies had to include the costs of global warming (the externalities) into the price of their products, they would be far more expensive than the alternatives.
Great pic detail fascinating. Did miss your input Wednesday but plenty to follow in the info you sent especially PM employing so many staff for social media, like to know if some are re employed civil servants sacked by PM government from 'backroom' jobs.
Management takes serious skills which his government seems to lack.
This is something I don't understand - local gov rates are going up yes, but a big part of that is because we're buying more things through local government. We're spending more on water pipe renewals, for example. If my food bill goes up because I buy two apples instead of one apple, that's not inflation in my understanding. That's not something that RBNZ should respond to in any way, they should respond to the cost of one apple. It's the same with insurance - we're paying more but that's because we're paying for two expected rebuilds within 100 years instead of one now. That's not inflation, that's us buying more things! Does the RBNZ take this into account or does it just bluntly say 'rates are up, that's inflation. Not our problem'?
It’s experienced as inflation by ratepayers. They are not getting twice as many pipes or twice the collection of bags. (Actually, it’s half in Auckland AND higher rates). A lot of deferred maintenance.
I accept that there will definitely be a component of the increases that are just the same services for more money and I agree that that's a measure of inflation. But surely if we're paying for 10km of pipe renewals a year instead of 5km (wild guess, for the sake of argument), the component of the increase in rates that is that cost isn't a measure of inflation?
Fascinating that major big Thailand success of C Luxon was tripling trade by 2045, which apparently was happening anyway as it follows current trajectory along with predicted inflation, according to RNZ commentary.
It seems as if the climate crisis has failed to register in NZ’s corridors of power. Though to be fair to Orr he has no control over the other lever of the economy- taxation
We built a machine that creates wealth for those who own it. But in doing so, it devours, fouls, and destroys the environment and all living things. So do we pull the plug on the machine? Silly thinking. As they say, you aren’t in traffic, you are traffic. We are the machine.
Are you referring to capitalism Mark? What is this machine you refer to?
To put it another way: ‘We have seen the enemy and it is us’.
We are used to wearing two hats — a green hat and a brown hat. We wear the green hat when we talk about the problems that are impossible to ignore and the actions we believe are necessary to ensure the survival of life on this planet, including our own. We wear the brown hat when we behave in ways that promise short-term individual benefits but, as our green hat selves remind us, ensure our collective destruction. And so we argue amongst ourselves and with ourselves. It’s a contradictory and unproductive existence.
I do have a bachelor degree, but i must say i am finding it hard to understand the message that you are trying to convey Mark. Seems like you are describing.... human beings? We all know alcohol and tobacco is bad for us yet majority of people drink and a lot still smoke. Yes petrol cars are bad for environment, but lake Taupo is nice, so i will drive my family there for the weekend. Is this what you are describing? But we are just human beings. We were never meant to be perfect or rational.
Whenever i feel a bit pessimistic about human kind (and sorry if i sound [patronising) i google to find out what good we are doing around the world, and it makes me feel better. We are cleaning the oceans that we have polluted:
https://theoceancleanup.com/
Life expectancy is up, child mortality is down, GDP around the world is growing, number and severity fo natural disasters is reducing. There are lots of things to celebrate. We are our worst enemy, but we are also our own best friend. (sorry the link is a bit old, but the message has not changed)
https://theconversation.com/seven-charts-that-show-the-world-is-actually-becoming-a-better-place-109307
I have hope for humanity in general and New Zealand in particular.
Thank you for the links, which I've followed.
I'm not sure that the number and severity of natural disasters are decreasing, but Hans Rosling’s message about the many ways our lives have improved is certainly worth keeping in mind. I have already lived longer than the average life expectancy in Western countries before the 1950s.
Your hopeful attitude is healthy. Without hope, where would we be? Optimism is a moral imperative and a practical necessity. As you say, despite our shortcomings, 'we are also our own best friend.' As Sophia Amoruso likes to say, 'Be good to your selfie, and your selfie will be good to you.'
Here is a different view on the "climate crisis" Mark. We need to add a third hat to the suite of hats you referred to above. One brown, one green and one orange may be? For the entrepreneurial and optimistic us who will save us? Bjorn is a force for good!
https://www.thetelegraph.com/opinion/article/why-truth-weather-disasters-matters-bjorn-18806809.php
Opinion pieces often allow for a more persuasive or argumentative style that might not always adhere to the strict citation requirements of academic publishing. However, for topics like climate change, the expectation for well-supported arguments remains high, given the implications of the discussions. Climate scientists and experts base their analyses on detailed data and peer-reviewed research. Like them, I would view articles on climate change that lack robust empirical support and references with skepticism.
Am I the only one who applies a discount factor to comments on this web site which don't have people's full names? I remember signing a letter "mother of nine" when it was possible in letters to the editor. When this was scrapped, I had to be much more responsible with what I wrote. I think, Bernard, that people should have their whole name on this site. I relish each day the comments section. It's thoughtful and often intelligent but I want to know who I might be debating with....
It's a valid point Gary but I think there are multiple legitimate reasons why people might not want to put their full name in the comments section on the internet. For the most part it's not too hard to tell. I started out on all services fairly open. Being male I don't get harassed too much but given it's pretty easy to figure out who people actually are for the most part I felt I didn't need to make my full name complety searchable all the time.
That's just me but I know people have all sorts of reason. Particularly with the enshitifcation of the internet in general.
" That's the nature of markets operating" concludes Adrian Orr in today's Chorus.
We've got to stop this brainless invisible hand stuff don't we? Unless I'm mistaken hands cannot see what we have to do for the future.
They’re not perfect markets, yet too many economists assume they are. Assumptions are necessary for models, and need to be considered when models are applied to real life!
True. And i learnt working with models in a different environment - health - that too often you had to ignore chunks of reality in order to select only actions you could measure. Hence reality had to be dispensed with so it is unsurprising when problems persist.