Earlier this month the Climate Commission released their draft report to the Government. It is so extreme that even typically conservative economists are expressing alarm.
Without any exaggeration, if implemented, the Commission’s plan would radically transform New Zealand, from a country which is still founded on free market principles, to a bureaucratically controlled and centrally planned economy.
Before we look into the detail, let’s remind ourselves of New Zealand’s climate policy journey.
As a good global citizen reliant on international trade, successive governments supported the United Nations’ emerging climate agenda that led to Helen Clark’s Labour Government signing the Kyoto Protocol in 2002. The decision was controversial, since the focus of global concern was on man-made greenhouse gases produced by industrialisation, whereas half of New Zealand’s emissions are produced naturally by cows and sheep.
The situation was exacerbated when the Clark Government introduced an Emissions Trading Scheme (ETS), which again was a mechanism used primarily to regulate emissions produced by industrial societies, not rural ones.
John Key’s National Government strengthened the ETS but left out agriculture since the only way to reduce ruminant emissions is through reducing stock numbers, which would decimate our export sector and economic wellbeing.
Despite contributing only 0.16 percent of global man-made greenhouse gas emissions, New Zealand signed the Paris Climate Agreement in 2016, setting an international target of reducing emissions by 30 percent below 2005 levels by 2030.
In 2017, Labour’s new leader, Jacinda Ardern, claimed climate change was her generation’s “nuclear-free moment”. Once elected, the Prime Minister wasted no time in eliminating the oil and gas sector to demonstrate to the global community that she was leading the fight against climate disaster.
In 2019, the ETS was strengthened through the introduction of a cap on emissions. The Zero Carbon Act was passed, setting the harshest domestic targets in the world – reducing emissions of long-lived gases to net zero by 2050 and methane emissions by 24-47 percent by 2050 – and establishing the Climate Commission.
The Commission’s key role is to advise the Government on how to best meet New Zealand’s Paris targets, as well as to review the scientific evidence on methane emissions. Their members are: Chairman Dr Rod Carr, a former University of Canterbury vice-chancellor; Deputy Ngai Tahu’s Lisa Tumahai; Dr Harry Clark, head of New Zealand’s Agricultural Research Centre; Victoria University Professor James Renwick and Dr Judith Lawrence, both former IPCC lead authors; Massey University Professor Nicola Shadbolt, a former Fonterra director; and Motu economist Catherine Leining, who was trained as a climate leader by Al Gore.
It should be remembered, that in spite of claims by climate activists to the contrary, New Zealand is comparatively clean and green. We have relatively little heavy industry, more than 80 percent of our electricity already comes from renewable sources, and half of our emissions are naturally produced by animals.
Our geography and low population density, however, means that since public transport and urban cycle ways cannot be used by many families, cars will need to remain an essential part of the Kiwi way of life.
So, what is the Climate Commission recommending?
Their report, which refers to “Aotearoa” 635 times and the country “New Zealand” only twice, represents central planning on steroids. They propose changing the way New Zealanders live and they urge the Government to do more: “The Government must pick up the pace. Aotearoa will not meet its targets without strong and decisive action now to drive low emissions technologies and behaviour change across all sectors.”
Race-based rights and the Treaty ‘partnership’ fabrication are central to their plan: “Care should be taken to make sure climate related policies do not further compound historic grievances for Maori. To give effect to the Treaty Partnership, central and local government need to acknowledge iwi/Maori rights to exercise rangatiratanga and kaitiakitanga in a joint plan to reduce emissions.”
They promote urban intensification, even though the virus pandemic has clearly shown that lower density living is safer and provides a better quality of life than “the more compact pedestrian-oriented cities typical of Europe and many parts of Asia” that they favour.
They want to force us into electric cars with “no further internal combustion engine light vehicles imported after 2032”, as well as requiring “more walking, cycling and public transport”.
They would close “aluminium and methanol production” and “switch away from coal, diesel and gas to electricity”. This would mean “No further natural gas connections to the grid, or bottled LPG”, which would force “restaurants, cafes and bars . . . to move away from natural gas”.
In their socialist utopia, not only would there be no backyards for BBQs, there would be no gas to fuel them either.
When it comes to farming, the Commission is ruthless: “our path would see dairy and sheep and beef animal numbers each reduced by around 15% from 2018 levels by 2030. This compares with an 8-10% reduction projected under current policies.”
This dashes the hopes of farmers that the Commission would examine the science and recognise that as a short-lived component of a natural cycle that sees greenhouse gases sequestered by farmland forests, grasslands and soil, methane should be excluded from emissions reduction goals.
Instead, the Commission recommends harsher targets: “We advise that the reductions in emissions of biogenic methane… could be between 49% and 60% below 2017 levels by 2100.”
Since this would dramatically force up the cost of all dairy foods and meat, it represents a serious contravention of the UN’s requirement that government policy to reduce emissions must not compromise food production.
This week’s NZCPR Guest Commentator, former Science and Technology Minister Barry Brill, the Chairman of the New Zealand Climate Science Coalition, is scathing about the Commission’s plan:
“The Climate Commission’s first report is a huge disappointment. It is little more than a well-polished propaganda vehicle. With its woke-word-smithed style, it could just as easily have been published by Greenpeace…
“The report leaves almost all the key questions unanswered… is dominated by subjective value judgments, biased assumptions and activist-speak. It is cliched, jargon-ridden and has no novel ideas. It produces no new insights or data and offers no quantified cost-benefit analysis for any one of its many pain inducing recommendations.”
The Climate Commission regards the United Nation’s Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC) as an authority, except, it seems, when it comes the role of our ETS. The Commission states: “The Emissions Trading Scheme alone won’t get us to where we need to be. Action is needed across all sectors of the economy.”
Yet advice from the IPCC contradicts that claim – once a country has an ETS in place, no other policy interventions are necessary: “if a cap and trade system has a sufficiently stringent cap to affect emission‐related decisions, then other policies have no further impact on reducing emissions”.
Since New Zealand already has a fully functioning ETS in place, it seems other policy recommendations are superfluous!
So how does our ETS work?
The ETS is a cap-and-trade system that requires businesses to purchase emissions units from the Government for every tonne of carbon dioxide they produce. A sinking cap means that over time the price of those units increases, creating an incentive for businesses to reduce emissions.
To see how it works, let’s consider an economy made up of just two companies – a dairy farm and a greenhouse tomato grower, each producing 2,000 tonnes of emissions a year and each needing to purchase 2,000 emission units under the ETS.
If the Government then reduces the ETS emissions cap from 4,000 tonnes to 3,000, each company receives 1,500 units and will need to reduce their emissions by 500 tonnes.
However, because the dairy farmer doesn’t want to kill any cows he will be 500 units short, while the tomato grower, who is planning to install a more efficient boiler that would halve his emissions to 1,000 tonnes, will have 500 units spare.
So, they do a deal. The dairy farmer leaves his emissions unchanged at 2,000 tons by buying the 500 spare units from the tomato grower to cover his excess. The money assists the grower to install his new boiler and halve emissions to 1,000 tonnes. Between them they achieve the 3,000 tonne cap – the dairy farmer still produces 2,000 tonnes while the tomato grower produces 1,000.
This is how the ETS works – it enables emissions to be reduced at the lowest cost to the economy. If the Government intervenes with taxpayer-funded subsidies, while that would assist individual businesses, it can’t reduce emissions, because that is controlled by the cap.
Over time, if the Government continues to reduce the emissions cap and force prices high enough, then, for example, the ETS levy on the price of petrol, which at the present carbon price of $39 a tonne is around 11 cents a litre, will drive pump prices so high that more Kiwis will consider switching to electric cars.
This can be done without the need for government subsidies or import restrictions.
Furthermore, since greenhouse gas emissions are a global problem, and reducing one tonne of carbon from the atmosphere in New Zealand is the same as reducing it from any other country, the ETS should be opened so Kiwi companies can deal with others around the world to reduce emissions at a lower cost.
Dr Oliver Hartwich, the Executive Director of the New Zealand Initiative, points out the benefits: “A recent paper in the American Economic Review reported that a forest conservation project in Uganda managed to sequester carbon for a cost of $US1 per tonne. Previously, we found projects in the Brazilian Amazon rainforest achieving a carbon offset for $US2 a tonne. But even at a conservatively-high $10 a tonne, New Zealand could offset all its net emissions for an annual cost of under $600 million.
“Imagine that: If New Zealand entered a partnership with countries like Brazil and Uganda we would become net carbon neutral tomorrow – not in 2050. Such a deal has a precedent. Switzerland and Peru recently announced a carbon offsets deal. Peru will receive funding for sustainable development, and Switzerland will receive credits for lower emissions. The deal is recognised under the Paris climate agreement, to which New Zealand is a signatory.”
By opening up the ETS so New Zealand can use Paris Agreement rules to meet its international obligations at the lowest possible cost – as Switzerland is clearly doing – the immense economic disruption and suffering the Climate Commission is recommending could be avoided.
Unless inflicting pain and suffering is Jacinda Ardern’s goal, that is exactly what her Government should be doing.
During 2020, the global pandemic essentially forced much of the world’s economy to shut down, dramatically reducing emissions of man-made carbon dioxide. Yet, contrary to climate model expectations, there has been no decrease in CO2 in the atmosphere.
Does this mean the models are wrong – that the human impact on the climate is too insignificant to register and that, contrary to the claims of extremists, it is nature, not mankind, that controls the climate?
Instead of investigating this significant anomaly, the Climate Commission ignored it, claiming, “The climate science is clear, the direction of climate policy is laid out and the time for accelerated climate action is now.”
In 2015, Christiana Figueres, the Executive Secretary of United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change, revealed that the objective of environmental activism is not to save the planet from ecological calamity but to destroy the free market economic system: “This is the first time in the history of mankind that we are setting ourselves the task of intentionally, within a defined period of time, to change the economic development model that has been reigning for at least 150 years, since the Industrial Revolution”.
Is that the real agenda of New Zealand’s Climate Commission – and the Government?
The draft Climate Commission report is now open for public submissions and we would urge everyone who is concerned to have their say before the closing date of March 14 – full details can be found HERE. Barry Brill has provided a submission that can be viewed HERE, and a second article that can be viewed HERE.
Please note – you can register for our free weekly newsletter by clicking HERE.
THIS WEEK’S POLL ASKS:
*Do you support the recommendations of the Climate Commission?
Note: Please feel free to use the poll comments to share your views on any of the issues raised in this week’s newsletter.
*Poll comments are posted below.
*All NZCPR poll results can be seen in the Archive.
THIS WEEK’S POLL COMMENTS
| No! If in doubt follow the money. | John |
| the big problem is population growth. Forget the rest. | chris |
| I think we need to allow the science that says CO2 as an essential nutrient for plants and is not the cause of warming does not need to be controlled. We need to opt out of the Paris Agreement and give our farmers free rein to produce the best quality food for humans. Which is real meat. | Darag |
| No – mother nature controls the climate, not us! | Lyn |
| CC is a tool the Marxist Left use to control the rest of us even though Ardern,, her sycophantic govt Greens sound deranged whenever they refer to it. | Monica |
| Dangerous to the overall well-being and economy of NEW ZEALAND ! | Brian |
| No not at all | Theo |
| There are so many contradictions in this report and so many edicts which seem to go against natural justice and common sense, that one wonders what its authors wish to achieve. What about the news item we read of last week, where a common mineral apparently found in the ground in most countries is crushed and CO2 is somehow combined with the mineral and changes the CO2 to a harmless substance which can then be buried and have no more effect on the climate. A reasonable amount of this mineral can render a year’s CO2 harmless. | Chris |
| The Prime Minister is out of touch with life. Perhaps she is wanting to cause pain and suffering – she is trying hard to do so. | Paloma |
| All this a foolish feelgood factor. The reality is the rest of the world has much to do before NZ. Reducing our .02% contribution to zero wont make a blind bit of difference. If they want to do something they should spend there time lobbing other countries to sort their shit out before we need to do anything. | Sean |
| We just need to use our ETS. It has be described as the best in the world. And let’s be allowed to re-plant the Amazon and other rainforests by trading internationally. This is a no-brainer but we are being led by no-brainers | Robert |
| The whole document is rubbish, just more lefty claptrap. | Pete |
| It is a load of hogwash designed to destroy not the plant, but society and population control | Robyn |
| Where is the science? Climate scientists (weather forecasters) in both NZ and Oz have a waiver on their websites absolving them from responsibility for wrong forecasts for the next day or two, never mind for 50-100 years ahead! The sun’s solar cycles are a major cause of variations in earth’s climate. The whole so-called climate change is about money and power. | Ramsey |
| Reasonable NZ people must support Sean PLunket , or we are being taken over by socialist filth. | Bert |
| This is Marxism in disguise. Centralization of all power. The document is a woke dream. New Zealand only produces 0.17% of global emissions, which is BELOW the margin of error in producing these statistics. Clearly NZ is not in any way affecting the situation. Yet this report claims to send us to Stalingrad like degradation of all out living standards in the pursuit of a Left wing extreme. | Doug |
| Absolute madness. 10 years tops and the millions will be starving. | Margaret |
| There is absolute science evidence that carbon is not the cause – and that the naturally induced temperature rises are not that great at all. | Maurice |
| Absolutely not!!! | Sarah |
| This is an attack on our way of life, and has nothing to do with climate enhancement. | Terry |
| Ideology of expert idiots | John |
| This report is a tragic robbing of New Zealand’s freedom and wealth. National Party and all media have been hopeless in their analysis of this report. Really sad! Someone, please speak up for us ordinary folk! | Andrew |
| Where is Aorearoe. | Mike |
| It is just another method for people to get rich | David |
| Communism is not a part of New Zealand’s character – why is Jacinda driving us there and how on earth did she win that last election? Hopefully we will recover from all this nonsense ASAP | Tony |
| Comrade Jacinda & Co.are hell bent on creating a dictatorship | bill |
| The very long comment by Frederick (below) is a masterpiece. He is correct in saying the cartridge box is nearly overflowing, and that a revolution could well be coming | alan |
| This Commission seems to be populated with a bunch of moronic marxists hell bent on destroying our way of life. | Peter |
| If implemented this policy would drive the nail further into the coffin. One has to wonder if all those, so convinced that the end is just a few years away, have given any thought to to social upheaval that this propaganda is sure to generate. Some worry about poverty now, just wait and see the effects this will bring. | Barry |
| It is absolute rubbish. For the truth about Climate Control read “Confessions of a Greenpeace Dropout” by Patrick Moore who originally set up Greenpeace and goy out after 15 years when it turned into a solely money making machine. Carbon is necessary for life on this planet as is chlorine despite what these money -making pseudo scientists say. If we end up with zero emissions of carbon ,plant life will die at around 150 ppm in the atmosphere. Life started with 4000 ppm and in the 1800s we were down to 220 ppm before we started burning fossil fuels and accidentally started increasing the co2 in the atmosphere. We are now about 330 ppm and our plants have never grown so well. Also, contrary to Climate Change people, CO2 increases global temperatures . WRONG. over 1000s of years temperature drags CO2 behind it- both going up and going down – NEVER does CO2 lead the way. In his book Moore gives all the references to his statements so you can then go back to find the original scientific study from which his graphs and statements come. Most Greens, unfortunately can’t or don’t read science or books like this but blindly follow what ever they get on Facebook, Twitter or their local socialist newspaper and TV. This book is a page turner and tells the scientific truth. | Garry |
| Pie in the sky1 | Brian |
| bloody idiots | Robbie |
| ETS is sufficient for New Zealand. The architects of this climate commissions radical plan will not be living when New Zealand goes down the gurgler and our children have to pick up the pieces. | Dennis |
| it is akin to Aztec dragging their children into cenotes and butchering them as sacrifices to the Sun for a change in the Climate to bring them rain. | Lionel |
| This is crazy gone haywire are they mad or are they trying to destroy NZ completely cause this will do it. | Vaughan |
| Climate change has been occurring for 4.5 billion years. Three factors cause change, none of them man-made. 1.The sun’s rays 2. The earth’s axis 3. Tectonics 90% of greenhouse gases are water vapour and clouds. NZ has a miniscule carbon footprint and the for the reasons outlined in your article to reduce animal stocks to reduce methane emissions would devastate our economy. When will our authoritarian/ totalitarian government cease its Marxist pretentions and get the electorate to vote on these key issues? | Tom |
| The Commission has been asked to supply empirical data demonstrating that global warming is real. They have not done so, suggesting they have no evidence, as indeed is the same with the IPCC. These people are rolling out the biggest scam in history. I refuse to believe they genuinely believe the world is warming as a result of fossil fuel combustion. They are the puppets of the UN Agenda. | Neil |
| the country is going backwards | Francis |
| It doesn’t make sense and NZ carbon emissions are insignificant compared to China/India/USA etc | sheryl |
| Definitely not this is total lunacy. | Bruce |
| A complete waste of time. A good money spinner for the incompetent. If we think we can change nature we get what we deserve. | Anon |
| The climate commission report is nothing more than socialist propaganda ie BS | Richard |
| Unless you really want to turn this country into a sixth-rate peasant country you had better bring the commission up with a round turn. Their pronouncements show they are not fit for purpose and had better either re-think along more practical lines or “get out of the kitchen.” | Rob |
| Hasnt the slightest interest in climate alteration but is a vehicle to drive this present governments desire to radically alter NZ place in the world to a Marxist economy. | Andrew |
| Your summary Muriel sums it up perfectly. No more than a Marxist Globalist SCAM. China gets a free ride to world domination, by hiding behind the developing nation label, & consequently contributing nothing to the Paris Acord fund. The indoctrinated multitudes who are too mentally lazy to research the subject thoroughly, deserve the poverty that is about to be bestowed upon them. | A.G.R. |
| This whole thing is beyond stupid. Egotistical people out of control. Not understanding a damn thing. It’s another band wagon. These people should read real science and not rely on MODELS. | Sandra |
| I do not believe mankind has such a huge effect on climate as suggested. They will ruin us if allowed to continue | Liz |
| If any of the Climate Changes recommended are introduced N Z and the public are doomed .We cannot afford to follow those sort of policies that will reduce our economy to a point that will end up the poorest country in the western world . | ken |
| No of course not, but they will still bulldoze their way along with Jacinda. Talk about setting up New Zealand to fail. Perhaps that is her real agenda, heaven help us. | Fraser |
| Sounds like UNs Agenda 21 to me. | Esther |
| We are having the wool pulled over our eyes again. | Steve |
| All part of the One World order. Communist way to destroy capitalism. | Graeme |
| All the non-political, unbiased real science clearly states that CO2 is NOT a contributing factor to warming the climate. This is widely published and easily accessible information. There is NO warming caused by CO2 or Methane. This flying right in the phase to accelerated cooling caused by a Solar Minimum. | Raig |
| First of all, it is offensive in its use of Aotearoa. That is not the historical name for Maori for NZ anyway! They did not have a collective noun for the nation. Then, as Muriels great report points out, it goes down too may dangerous paths for our economy. We are a tiny part of world emissions! The concept of aligning with other countries makes a lot more sense. | Hugh |
| No – this is just another step along the road to Totalitarianism, on a world wide scale. The so-called “intellectuals” who back this process, having been educated beyond their ability to reason, are merely pawns in a much larger game. The Conspiracy Theories relating to “worldwide depopulation” by a cabal of “globalist elites”, routinely derided by self-styled “intelligentsia,” appears to be becoming Conspiracy Fact! | Scott |
| i cannot believe anybody could.it will bankrupt all of us | barry |
| Why did the CC not recommend planting exotics and recommended planting natives instead. Such action defies our experience. | Wink |
| No to Global Corporate Communism | Sid |
| Unnecessary and socialist in the extreme. | Mike |
| This climate agenda is alarmingly destructive to everything we enjoy and do. A fast track to a communist state of being controlled and repressed. | Brian |
| How can anyone with even a small amount of common sense vote for Labour or the Greens | Steve |
| The reports recommendations are totally devoid of factual information. | Martin |
| A Green Deal front for the Worlds largest Ponzi Scheme. This has all got to be part of a bigger Agenda going on around the Planet to achieve a ‘One World Government’ Regime !! | Geoff |
| Absolutely not. Unfortunately the information in this weeks post re the Climate Commission’s Radical Plan is not readily available unless one knows where to access views that are contrary to what Govt. promotes. | Sonia |
| rank socialism intended to further destroy the democracy, economy and individuals’ freedom of/in this country | russell |
| I have just read that mount Etna has erupted and is spewing millions of tons of gases into the atmosphere, most of which are greenhouse gases. Centralised control and planning has not worked to the benefit of citizens anywhere. And is only maintained by the use of force. The report and recommendation take no notice of the effects they would have on lives everywhere. No amount of money either earned or as is the case presently. printed by the government, will defer the disaster that is waiting for New Zealand if the recommendations are adopted It’s New Zealand, not Aotearoa. How do they measure the weight of CO2 | Ray |
| IT IS AS USUAL A LODE OF GARBAGE BY A COMMISION NO DOUBT FULL OF GREENIE MEMBERS NOT NECESERRALY GREENPIECE MEMBERS New zealand is looking bankupcy in the eye if these recomendations are followed | joun |
| First there is NO climate emergency. Yes there is climate change but that is not what the zealots are promoting It is global warming that is supposed to be the bad egg. Unfortunately global warming stopped over 15 years ago and so the name was changed to climate change. There has always been climate change and there always will be and there is close to zero anything that puny little man can do about it. Our climate is controlled by nature and more particularly by that great big orange thing in the sky that appears at dawn and vanishes at dusk. The sun is now entering a quite phase and the planet IS COOLING. Just see the effects in Russia and the UK ( frozen rivers ) and not to mention Texas and the freezing of the windmills so putting large areas into blackout. Will the zealots then promote burning more fossil fuels to conteract the cooling. I note that the Climate Commision is dominated by global warming zealots There was no dessenting voices only those acolytes of the IPCC The proposals of the commision MUST be refuted and our economy grown to enable us to cope with any future possible climate change disasters That will be the most economic way | Robin |
| It’s a load of propaganda | Ray |
| Is Illogical Insanity a term? | Dick |
| What a load of bollocks we are being fed a load of rubbish the kids are being brain washed from kindy to uni the do Goodes are doing far more harm than good do ordinary people know the resources and damage to the earth mining etc to make an electric car battery and the amount of power to charge it then what happens to it when it finished with that is only one thing to consider | Peter |
| I’m sick of the lying media. If the media could tell the truth like they are meant to we wouldn’t be in the situation. why would we want to reduce food/cows in a growing world population? why would we want to rely on electricity to enable all parts of life car/cooking/water, if the power goes out with have nothing. we cant even drive anywhere. Im worried about the future for my children | Jessica |
| The Loopy Greens, the Maoris, the Twig & Tweeters & the Queen Street never been theres” are running the show now and you had better get used to it. Hydro was our proven source of cheap, clean electricity. Ok construction costs were high but employment was created. The natural surroundings were restored and where it could not be recreation areas and parks established. It must be cheap Tewai Point proves that point. Farming, particularly dairy, has been our saviour during lockdown and will continue to be so, the bright boys want herd sizes reduced. You can’t go building new hydro dams because “that” area is special to the Maoris. (Money might fix that) or it is surrounded by beautiful native bush, eg Karamea, the Queen Street experts would not allow that although they have never been there and never will. Have they not heard of regeneration! Electric cars are wonderful? How do you dispose of the batteries? Public transport and cycles are the answer … move over kids here comes granny and grandad on their 10 speeds.. Oh dear Oh dear things aren’t what they used to be. | Bruce |
| Just more lunacy unabated and unscrutinised by our leftist press. Unbelievable incompetence which this Nation will look back on and wonder how we let it happen. A good question for your forum would be “is Democracy failing and why?” | Tony |
| Insanity. Shooting the economy in the head. But the tactic is to introduce unreal targets then negotiate to lesser. Ignoring the fact that action is not necessary at all. | Carl |
| Every-one,s costs will go up so EVERYONE contact the govt.(The contact details are in this newsletter so fill them in & send them to the govt. or remain blind & moan with the cost of EVERYTHING GOES UP(it will be too late to moan if you ignore giving your opinion) Ask WHY jacinda is being STUBBORN & NOT doing a deal like Switzerland has done.She doest,nt care about kiwi,s only looking good overseas so she,s doing so much damage by her not caring so it,s upto US to stand up for OUR RIGHTS. | Cindy |
| Idealology will drive the productive economy within NZ into serious decline along with food production. Why is the NZ Climate Commission ignoring the international advice on procedure for reforms in such a detrimental manner for NZ? | Douglas |
| There can’t be many better ways of destroying New Zealand by accepting the socialistic nonsense set out by the Climate Commission | john |
| It is working to ward communism by stealth. | Wayne |
| Absolutely not, the whole climate nonsense is a farce. Mother nature controls it | Tom |
| Nothing they say makes sense. Left wing greenies out to destroy our lifestyle. NZ emissions are so low now – almost immeasurable. So “what’s the problem?” – there is none of course. | Don |
| Bloody stupid Government thinking | Neil |
| It’s driven by ideology, rather than pragmatics; and, as usual, the plan grossly overestimates New Zealand’s place in the greater order of things. The trouble is that the Climate Commission has nailed its colours to the mast, and can’t back down now, for fear of losing face. Similarly, Ardern won’t criticise the recommendations because she needs to conserve her image as saviour of the world. The future for this country in looking increasingly bleak, whilst our neighbours over the Tasman are thriving. | Graham |
| Absolute bullshit!! | Al |
| NO, I do not support these ridiculous ideas, the mindless, mind controlled fools that follow this fake science beggar belief. Manmade climate change is nothing more than a gold-plated CON, but clearly shows the gullibility of the average person, the stupidity and ignorance of all mainstream media, and the outright dereliction of duty by all politicians to blindly follow along with what is clearly a scam…..a sad sad situation. | Paul |
| NO ‘science’ (REAL science – not opinion) to support conclusions; should be disregarded in toto ! Not even close ! | Michael |
| Have any of these people, (on the commission), ever worked in the private sector? Its a pity there is no common senes test for all of the people on all of the commissions in this country.(N.Z) | Hugh |
| Let the open market determine itself | Al |
| No No No | David |
| Barry Brill will keep them honest | RICHard |
| CO2 is at a dangerously LOW level, @ 0.04%. should the the level drop by half of that,, ALL CROPS & TREES would DIE and THROUGH STARVATION…US TOO ! | Aubrey |
| It is just more of the mad rush to socialist utopia which does not work. | Michael |
| Only Uninformed dodo’s believe this UN Climate Change money making scam, to con countries to contribute to their charter. Where is this Temperature increase and the Rising Sea levels they have been predicting since 2015 ?? Remember the Demonstrations in Dunedin, after Jacinda spooked them about the rising sea levels !! | Pierre |
| It’s absolute garbage. | Terry |
| Far to broadbrush approach. | Albyn |
| If the recommendations from the Climate Commission are implemented by Jacinda and her rag tag band of loony lefties, this will be the end of a free and open New Zealand and welcome to the new Socialist Utopia of Aotearoa, where the government controls everything, tells you what to think and takes your money as and when they want. Remember you’ll own nothing and be happy! | John |
| Dont kill the golden goose. Our stock numbers have already reduced by about 15% over the last 20 years | Gerry |
| Lunatics! Ideologues! | Jenny |
| Greenpeace on steroids | Gregor |
| Too extreme for such a small producer of gases. | Ian |
| The agenda is clear. The UN and associated commie cronies want to destroy everything what does not fit into their satanic schemes. People here in NZ and elsewhere will wake up when they start hurting. And then it will be too late. Damage control will be almost impossible considering the devastation wreaked on a once thriving global economy. But as long as people keep on voting for idiots— well — our very fellow citizens remain our worst enemies. | Michael |
| No no no not on your sweet Nellie , red fed adhern and co do not understand the climate is the job of nature not humans,we have no part in climate at all | James |
| Lack of fact based on ideology | lindsay |
| thank god I wont live to see this distruction | Rex |
| Too many varied points of view by the so called experts | Ted |
| What a joke. | Sheena |
| It’s rubbish | Graeme |
| The authors are idealistic fruit loops (just like the rest of this loopy government) | Laurie |
| I say once more that we keep talking about this and other important issues but the Govt has unrestricted power to change whatever they please. They also have an agenda so what are we going to do? Talking will not change anything. | peter |
| I cannot believe any of the mistruths. | Graeme |
| naive and not practical; it will help destroy the NZ economy , just like Labour’s other radical moves . | Roy |
| they are obviously the wrong people to be calling the shots – why not some people who work at the coal face able to be heard | Erin |
| This Lefty communist lot are in lala land | Murray |
| Self serving clap trap which only is getting more draconian in unachievable goals | Collin |
| Climate change is mass hypochondria | Cole |
| The whole manmade climate change is BS. Scientists and the media are making the picture fit the theory. I don’t trust the incompetent Labour government to do what is best for the country. | Trevor |
| Life might be better on Mars if this becomes legislation. Of course it will exclude Maori. | David |
| I’m amazed that the nzcpr are now going along with this climate change bullshit and not calling it out as just another socialist scam. As you once stated, climate change has been going on for billions of years but now you seem to be echoing what most main stream political parties and the media are saying , that there is an easier way to mitigate the effects of Climate Change. Why can’t conservative thinking politicians stand up and speak their minds, if they did they might find more of the silent majority would vote for them. Unfortunately they seem too PC and scared to upset the green socialist leaning minority. | Dave |
| Great pain No gain | Bryan |
| John has said it right – ‘why doesn’t the Government leave us alone.’ less govt not more govt. less government is what we want – repeat | bruces |
| There were good reasons for Trump to withdraw from the Paris accord and he was supported by 80million Americans | bruce |
| They are unnecessary and should be rejected as Marxist ideology. | Gordon |
| There are four Boxes that make up Democracy! The first is the Ballot Box, the second is the Law Box, the third is the Jury Box, in the pursuit of Justice and the fourth is the Cartridge Box and once the Cartridge Box is full Revolution follows shortly after. It would be reasonable to assume that the first shot is not too far away as the Cartridge Box is nearly full! You cannot use a Lie to get to the Truth! The truth is that CO2 is a Harmless Gas not a Harmful Gas – we consume CO2 every day when we celebrate with Champagne, when we go to the Pub for a Beer, when our Kids drink their favourite Cordial. The Harmful Gas lie has enabled socialist propaganda to put in place a foundation stone to build a political monster aimed at transferring power to a destructive doctrine that will tear down industrialisation and drive millions into poverty. This in turn will force a connection to the State of millions of Voters thus increasing the rotten doctrine and its failed values. We must destroy the foundation stone to bring the monster to heal and restore Democracy. Democracy is built on development, job creation, opportunity and wealth creation in addition to the freedoms we all take for granted. So let’s challenge the lie about Global Warming and Climate Change! HOW CAN A RISE IN CO2 LEVELS BOTH INCREASE GLOBAL WARMING & DRIVE THE CLIMATE TO AN ICE AGE ? A graphical example that was designed by the Lavoisier Group of scientists from the research of Poussart, Weaver & Barnes – University of Victoria, Canada in 1999 shows that an Ice Age starts to form at 2,500 ppm and full Glaciation is reached at 3,000 ppm of CO2. The Climate Cult uses Theories and Hypothesis to create political argument that will de-industrialise western democracies. It is reasonable to demand Quantitative Evidence prior to forcing millions into poverty and despair due to the shut-down of industries and the removal of daily used, household products. Quantitative Evidence has not been established! SOME 6,000 EVERYDAY PRODUCTS THAT WE USE ARE MADE FROM OIL AND THE MAJORITY OF THESE PRODUCTS CONTAIN ONE OR MORE POLLUTANTS MADE FROM THE REFINING OF PETROLEUM OR GAS OR THE COMBUSTION OF FOSSIL FUELS. The three largest gases in our atmosphere; Nitrogen Oxygen and Argon make up 99.96% of the atmosphere. (YES – 99.96%) Thus, the remaining gases are Microscopic, including Carbon-Dioxide and Methane. Mankind’s production of CO2 is 0.0018% or 1/1, 000th of 1% and 0.00001% or 1/100,000th of 1% for Methane. Earth’s atmosphere (Troposphere) is 5,000 Trillion Tonnes of Mass. The saying; “You may as well p** in the ocean” would seem appropriate for those that fear the destruction of the Planet is imminent! (If CO2 was Sulphuric Acid it still would be dissipated in our huge atmospheres and be rendered harmless!) As number crunching Technocrats we have identified five fatal flaws in the Climate Cult Theories. One of them is portrayed here. The remainder are available in a 30 minute Power Point Presentation as delivered to the Royal Aeronautical Society and that is freely offered to any Group seeking the truth about CO2! STRATEGIES, TIPS AND POLICY: (We do not accept any global warming is due to mankind) Encourage oil exploration into the foreseeable future due to indefinite supply of oil – Encourage alternative energy sources due to demand for oil (Consumer Choice) – Encourage alternative engine propulsion due to the depletion of oil reserves and not global warming (Consumer Choice). Except in aviation due to the impact on safety. (If the fact that CO2 is a harmless, colourless, odourless, tasteless, motionless microscopic Gas is accepted as the Truth and it is – then we already have a sustainable aviation industry using high technology to advance aviation) – Accept Petroleum and Natural Gas Refining and the need for Combustion Pollutants in every day household products to maintain living standards and life expectancy – Discourage membership of international bodies aligned to the political climate cult We need to start to fight back now – before the first shot is fired from the Cartridge Box!!! | Frederick |
| It is extreme, woke and will have immeasurably small impact on world emissions. | Geoff |
| even though i vote in these polls, i feel that it is really a waste of time as none of these comments will ever be allowed to be published. Maybe Muriel needs to do something radical and start a national publication that will publish these comments so that ALL New Zealanders can be informed. | bill |
| New Zealander living standards must be preserved | Martin |
| A panel of people who have a vested interest in lining their own pockets yet again. | michael |
| Why would you support it | Admin |
| The plan will drive New Zealand back to the stone age. | Gavin |
| how is it the maori words are bold and on top and can hardly read the english words underneath……..anyone!!! | wayne |
| Seems like economic suicide for NZ and will not benefit the world at all. Also contravenes the food production policies of the Paris accord. | Willy |
| Total Garbage…. | Chris |
| This Climate Change is a total Scam which was setup by world bankers to gain control over everything. | don |
| Total pseudoscience based lunacy. CO2 has been steady despite covid because 1) China increased volume and 2) volcanic activity has increased due to ongoing Solar Minima and increasing exposure to cosmic flux as our magnetosphere collapses and our magnetic poles migrate to meet off Indonesia within a decade. Then there is the Increased risk of CMEs taking out our entire ELECTRICAL grid so good luck with the molten electric cars and saddle up the horses. Refer Magnetic Reversal News and Suspicious Observers and Tony Heller for some facts with full references a la method scientifique sil vous plaid. (Please) | Zoran |
| Time to claim nz back. | craig |
| If the majority in this poll a like minded as myself, how is it that 2/3rds of NZrs voted Labour with such extreme nonsensical ideas – rental regs e.g.? | Diane |
| The imposition of the intended control over the people of NZ, is complete idiocy ! | William |
| There is no evidence to support man made climate change. | Ken |
| Getting rid of the Climate Change Commission would be the most effective measure the government could take. The climate will not be affected either way. We will all be better off in all respects without their nonsense recommendations. | Peter |
| It should be obvious by now that this socialist government does not have the knowledge, expertise or willpower to organise itself out of a wet paper bag. Look no further than its record on building houses for the homeless . . let along trying to control the uncontrollable. | Alan |
| Bloody Hell no!!! It is a load of rubbish! | Ron |
| The CCC has not been able to supply any convincing data that man-made carbon dioxide and bio-genetic methane emissions are causing harmful climate change. Reducing man-made emissions will make no measurable reduction in global temperatures, hence the CCC recommendations are total fraud. | John |
| Climate science is an oxymoron. Since Key’s government, true scientists are refused government funding for research that will challenge or disprove “climate change”. I have zero desire to live in a Marxist Police State ruled over by the Covid Queen. How does villifying farmers put food on the table for real New Zealanders? By real, I mean all of the people who work hard in the private sector and pay ridiculous taxes to keep all of the wider government / civil servants in the style they appear to believe is their right. | Mark |
| The proposed goals will come at a devastating cost to the public, particularly the lower income members. | Phil |
| More PC greenie mistruth completely devoid of scientific fact, and ignoring compelling evidence that CO2 does not cause climate change . These people must be stopped before they kill our economy. | Peter |
| How can intelligent people come up with such nonsense. It has become a religion. It is time people started to speak out. | Martyn |
| Misinformation in schools and tertiary institutions is alarming. Is there any redress or do we surrender to the prevailing ethos? | Catherine |
| It will make not one iota of difference even if we stopped every thing | Colin |
| Absolutely NOT. It stinks of oligarchy and bureaucratic connivance. Roll on Soviet Aotearoa ! | Alan |
| Bearing in mind that the “objective of environmental activism is not to save the planet from ecological calamity but to destroy the free market economic system”, is would seem that treason is afoot!!! There is no other explanation for the decisions that are being made against the livelihoods of citizens of the whole world. Coupled with the misinformation over the China Flu, there is evil being played out against you and I. This is a war, but not in the “normal” sense of the word. The “left bought and paid for media” is suppressing any view that is against their plans of Global dominance, and the turn everyone into “compliant” puppets. Conspiracy Theory? do your own research and you will understand that there is indeed a conspiracy, and is written in plain “woke” English for all to read. Start with the UN, then the WTO and you will realize where the “instructions” to our treacherous government are coming from!!! | Neil |
| No way. What a rort. The roots were exposed by the late David Kear. Few are objective enough to see through the fraud. We need a new Messiah to tell the truth. | Doug |
| Have they ever considered the impact of all the billions of extra population inhabiting this earth a breathing CO2 and other pollutants and to mention all the removal of grasslands and forests. Just plain dumb to fiddle with fossil fuels and livestock numbers. For heavens sake the world needs affordable food. | Tim |
| More bureaucratic lunacy!! | Tony |
| Why would NZ eliminate the use of gas while socialist governments throughout Europe are building another huge pipeline to bring Russian gas to heat European homes – absolute hypocrisy as usual | Alan |
| No I do not support any of the climate change nonsense. It is perfectly obvious that it is a communist mechanism to make free enterprise so difficult that everyone will choose Government subsidies until the tax payer money runs out and then there will be poverty and starvation as is the usual result when free enterprise is destroyed by the half wits and imbeciles that think communism produces a kind of utopia for everyone. Governments who pursue this path, do not have the people’s interests at heart. They are after power and all the levers of Government that allow them to hang on to power at all costs. Nanaia Mahuta is typical of the type. Her latest bright idea is to up property rates by 15 to 20%. The only possible reason for this is to deprive people of their private property. This current government who preaches kindness certainly has no intention of being kind to anyone except themselves and feathering their own nests. The biggest problem with democracy is that there are more stupid people than there are smart people. The answers to this problem are pretty obvious, but nobody wants to face up to the problem. Our education system has been hell bent on depriving young people of their ability to think clearly and logically and to be able to adequately read, comprehend, write and do mathematics to a high standard. They are deprived of their language and their ability to think clearly and to even comprehend and discern. Remember the many leftist mantras that came into our language in the 70’s. Suddenly making value judgements became un PC and then it became an anything goes society which has now become a very unhealthy society with a bad attitude. And now we have the addition of deliberate Government imposition of racial division. Fun times ahead to be sure. | Dianna |
| more govt control , it is more and mor like the soviet union | Jack |
| How can a group of supposedly intellectual people get it so wrong? | Brian |
| A*****les are using fake science. | Mark |
| A bunch of socialist, eco nazis. Only the blind political zealots could take this report seriously. Oh wait that is our government in power. | Mike |
| The whole climate change concept is a carefully disguised (Internationally lefty) political scam, and the fabrication of so called reporting on most all of this subject this reflects that basic flaw. Al Gore’s Inconvenient Idiocy having been challenged in a British Court and proved to be flawed, the precedent exists, yet still the low IQ media muppets follow in the steps of International Maxism. one sixth of one percent is a joke, cows natural functioning being taxed is a joke, centralist taxing by mechanism is no joke its a crime. | Richard |
| nutter rule the world, time for a rebellion | Peter |
| Absolutely NOT! Climate change is simply a path to enact a Western socialist system of control and power. Logical analysis of the actual data reveals no climate emergency and no need to transform our economies into hugely inefficient, bureaucratic and state-controlled behemoths, just like the Soviet Union. History leaves us in no doubt how badly socialism performs in terms of reduced national wealth and individual freedoms, and increased state control, waste and cronyism. Comrade Jacinda wants us all to be KIND little citizens and do exactly what she says is good for us. The Climate Commission is a rigged assembly of climate acolytes who can only accept one solution. Wake up New Zealand and get rid of this government before we all live to regret it! | Derek |
| I thought The communist party (carrying on as the labour party ) had all the idiots in NZ, but clearly they missed this lot, these people should never be allowed to hold a job again! | Norm |
| No, it’s totally one sided. They’ve written it to suit the current government. | Andrew |
| Communist scum | Greg |
| More gobbledogook. gives the government more power. | Bev |
| Political tripe | Kevin |
| These people are just a bunch of morons, some of them will be gone before this comes into place, so they don’t care what happens to the future generations. Future generations will curse them for their stupidity , arrogance and lack of forward thinking. the only thing they are thinking of is their back pocket, and their so called fame, especially one certain leader. Dear leader will go down in history as the worst PM this country has ever had, thanks a bunch winston. | Merryl |
| its just simply unaffordable | allan |
| The composition of the local climate commission sadly aligns with the IPCC ,long considered not a reliable organization and overly tempered by ideologes The composition of the Climate Commission reflects an unhealthy allia nce with the IPCC,an organization long discredited, unreliable,essentially a political outfit,cranked to the left.The true Gurus of climate science exposed their , ultimate aims a long time ago,having little to do with climate but a lot to do with distribution of wealth. | gale |
| Very disappointing, not surprising, however the arrogance and ignorance is unacceptable, talk about rigging the outcome with no science used, the commission should be ashamed of themselves. Little puppets. | Paul |
| The recommendations from this commission are nonsensical! | rayward |
| Biased in the extreme. What a load of crock, and nowhere is there a mention, even in passing, of the cost of all this. If we’re not bankrupt now, we will certainly will be if this is all adopted and in more ways than the $ Dangerous idealogical nonsense. | Carolyn |
| I agree totally with John,I couldn’t have put any better.The planet loves Co2, it has never been greener, as in plant life, not the loony left green morons. | Allen |
| Definitely not !!!!! Please look up the open letter sent to UN by 500 renowned world scientists stating there is NO climate emergency and also look up the REAL climate scientists who confirm what they say. There is nothing wrong with the planet. !!!! | Alan |
| How do they expect people with motorhomes, caravans and batches off the grid to heat water and cook food? Roll on election time!! | Terry |
| It’s all a load of ideological rubbish, They are going to destroy NZ (ups sorry Aotearoa) whilst a large proportion of the world will continue to pollute as they have done for years. | Robert |
| It’s time to storm the beehive, pitchfork in hand. | Rossco |
| If NZ only supposedly produces .6% of the worlds emissions we should be commended for our low contribution not asked to lower the emission rate lower. This whole debacle rest with the UN agenda and Arderns aspiration to be leader of the UN. Why does the UN not condemn China, India, Indonesia, Russia, Etc. as they are amongst some of the worlds worst emission offenders. | Wayne |
| A complete load of nonsense , so we have to stop certain activities so that some one on the other side of the world can keep doing it!!!! | Les |
| The climate issue is just another lie and con job in line with the covid scam | David |
| We already have the ETS in place. I have lived long enough to get used to variations in climate. There have been particularly hot and cold periods in my lifetime, but they average out. | Mark |
| They only need to review the early days of the Soviet Union to see what a miserable failure government run central planning is certain to be. | Ian |
| The Commission’s report is a shocker – another disaster waiting to befall us now that the socialists have unbridled power. | Michael |
| This is outright totalitarianism. | Isaac |
| The suggestions about using the ETS to do international deals makes sense, but it doesn’t undermine free market capitalism, which is the real goal of Jacinda Ardern and her fanatical supporters. | Barbara |
| This is extremely worrying. NZ is on the cusp of being turned into a banana republic. I will be doing a submission and I hope everyone else will as well. I realise that it might be a waste of time, but at least we will know we tried to bring common sense into this debate! | Simon |
| How depressing all this is. Why doesn’t the government just leave us alone. NZ is not creating any problems. For God’s sake our emissions are mostly natural – they come from animals. It’s cows and sheep these days, but it used to be dinosaurs! And carbon dioxide doesn’t cause global warming either. It is a huge con-job to destroy capitalism. | John |