Climate change action Down-Under

Trade negotiations minister Tim Grosser is off to his sinecure in Washington before Christmas and has been replaced by Pauline Bennett whose main claim to fame has been stomping on the rights of solo mothers and beneficiaries having traversed the same route herself. 

Her deputy is the man we could all the Minister of Oil, Simon Bridges. As Paula has admitted that she knows nothing about climate change guess who will be making the real decisions.

For someone who knows nothing about climate change it appears she knows enough to stonewall proposals from our Pacific neighbours and throw them under the bus.

Musn't do anything to upset the boss.

Bennett’s first act on climate ignores Pacific’s pleas

https://www.greens.org.nz/news/press-release/bennett’s-first-act-climate-ignores-pacific’s-pleas

Marama Davidson MP on Tuesday, December 8, 2015 - 16:17

Paula Bennett’s first act as incoming Climate Change Minister has been to reject pleas from the Pacific Islands for New Zealand to back a 1.5 degree limit to global warming that could give them the chance of survival, the Green Party has said.

Minister Bennett refused to give New Zealand’s support to an explicit goal in the Paris climate agreement to limit global warming to a 1.5 degree increase, despite growing support from allies including Australia, Canada and Pacific nations for a 1.5 degree limit.

“The Minister’s refusal comes amidst pleas from our Pacific neighbours and close allies for a much more ambitious emissions reduction target that could help limit global warming,” said Green Party Pacific spokesperson Marama Davidson.

“Simply paying lip service to the plight of our Pacific neighbours is not enough. The Pacific Islands need a 1.5 degree limit to have a chance of surviving the effects of climate change.

“The National Government is appeasing polluting industries. It needs to stand with our Pacific neighbours and back a global agreement that puts their lives and futures first,” said Ms Davidson.

Peter Emberson, Director of Climate Change for the Fiji Government, said overnight that “any goal that goes beyond the 1.5 degrees celsius is going to wreak havoc on a lot of coastal communities”, and that a 1.5 degree goal is “imperative, we need it now to safeguard our survival

Tim Groser's towering achievement

New Zealand has been given a scathing report card from the Climate Change Performance Index.

The country's ranking has fallen from 35th to a lowly 42nd out of 58 this year - just five places ahead of China.

While New Zealand scored better for renewable energy, it ranked in the bottom five for climate change policy.

The ranking list was released at the Paris climate change conference.

It measures factors such as emissions levels per capita, deployment of renewable energy, and the energy intensity of the economy.

Top five countries*:

4. Denmark

5. UK

6.Sweden

7. Belgium

8. France

* The top three places are empty as the report's authors say no country is doing enough to prevent dangerous climate change.

Bottom five countries:

57. Korea

58. Japan

59: Australia

60. Kazakhstan

61. Saudi Arabia

John Key has a plan - 'bullshit wrapped in obfuscation'

Will John Key offer more cuts at the Paris climate talks?

Here is Donkey talking about climate change a year ago. Tony Dumb-Dumb and Stephen Harper were a bit more honest.

Australia ranked third-last in climate change performance of 58 countries

2016 Climate Change Performance Index released at Paris climate summit, day after Julie Bishop said Australia was meeting and beating its climate targets

Australia has come third last in an annual assessment of 58 nations’ climate policies, with only Saudi Arabia and Kazakhstan ranking worse.

The assessment by Germanwatch and Climate Action Network Europe was released at the Paris climate summit, just one day after foreign minister Julie Bishop told the assembled ministers Australia was meeting and beating its climate targets and transforming its energy production.

The report measures actual emission levels per capita, the trend in emissions projections, the deployment of renewable energy, and the energy intensity of the economy, and assesses climate policies for each of the 58 countries.

Slightly off-topic but here are some details of our new minister

More on our minister

"When she only 19, Paula Bennett was on the Domestic Purposes Benefit but was able to buy her own house in Taupo for $56,000, courtesy of Housing Corporation loan. Bennett said she'd worked part-time but that she "pretty much fell apart because I was exhausted and I WENT BACK ON THE DPB".

"But now she's a minister it's a different story" said Harawira.

"It was OK for Paula to go back on the DPB because it was too hard to survive,but it's tough luck for her sisters today.

"It was OK for Paula to get a Housing Corp loan back then,

but National made sure that it's no longer available today."

"It was OK for Paula to stay on the DPB to raise her daughter, but she's

making sure that young woman won't have that privilege anymore."

"It was OK for Paula to get a paid tertiary education back then,

but not today. In fact she was the Minister who abolished the Training Incentive Allowance."

"Paula Bennett basically set herself up in life with direct assistance

from the state,but now she's the Minister of Social Development, she's gonna make sure nobody else can ever get that kind of help"

"Her hypocrisy would be laughable, except it's so bloody tragic."

Hone Harawira Mana-Te Tai Tokerau MP