Feel good about yourself and all that

This seems to have flown under the radar a little, but that doyenne of the green movement, Mobil, has brought biofuels to Wellington. Yay.

Back in June Mobil began trialling the fuel at its Johnsonville station and a couple of weeks ago it arrived at the Karori station and 'two others' - which I assume means the Kilbirnie one and a Hutt one.

The 98 or super has up to 10% biofuels and the 91 has up to 3% - but anyway its a good start.

Environmental heresy?

The very excellent Wired Magazine is likely to cause a storm with its incendiary article on approaches to climate change in the latest issue.

It talks about how if we are serious about addressing global warming, then only one thing really matters - cutting carbon emissions. Wired argues that if we are to do that then we are going to have to make some big calls, cut out the bullshit basically and address the ‘inconvenient truths’ and possibly swallow some dead rats.

“Just one problem. Winning the war on global warming requires slaughtering some of environmentalism's sacred cows. We can afford to ignore neither the carbon-free electricity supplied by nuclear energy nor the transformational potential of genetic engineering. We need to take advantage of the energy efficiencies offered by urban density. We must accept that the world's fastest-growing economies won't forgo a higher standard of living in the name of climate science — and that, on the way up, countries like India and China might actually help devise the solutions the planet so desperately needs.”

“The planet is already heating up, and the point of no return may be only decades away. So combating greenhouse gases must be our top priority, even if that means embracing the unthinkable.”

The article lists 10 ‘heresies’ that would deliver cuts in global carbon emissions and make a real impact on climate change as follows:

1. Live in cities – Urban living is kinder to the planet than the suburban lifestyle. (Totally agree!)
2. Air conditioning is ok - Live in warmer places - Air-conditioning actually emits less C02 than heating. (Difficult in NZ and hard to ask people to up and move out of the South Island – but a good idea)
3. Organics are not the answer -Surprise! Conventional agriculture can be easier on the planet. (Agree! Organics are bollocks)
4. Farm the forests - Treat forests like crops - old-growth forests can actually contribute to global warming.
5. China is the solution, not the problem - The People's Republic leads the way in alternative-energy hardware – China is actually the number 1 manufacturer of solar panels. (Very good point)
6. Carbon Trading Doesn’t Work - Carbon Credits were a great idea, but the benefits are illusory – Kyoto will reduce the impact of Climate Change by 6.5 days. (I think we kind of knew this was window-dressing)
7. Accept Genetic Engineering - Superefficient Frankencrops could put a real dent in Greenhouse Gas emissions. (Totally agree! Science shouldn’t be something we fear)
8. Embrace Nuclear Power - Face it. Nukes are the most Climate-friendly industrial-scale form of energy. (Agree this is a good idea for large countries – but a country the size of NZ could never afford to build one – better off with other renewable sources)
9. Used cars – Not hybrids - Don't buy that new Prius! Test-drive a used car instead. (Totally agree!)
10. Prepare for the worst - Climate Change is inevitable. Get used to it.

I guess that famous Kennedy quote - if the price of peace is Nuclear war, then we'll be left with the taste of ashes in our mouths - comes to mind. But the article is right - if we leave the response up to the hand-wringers and do-gooders then little impact will be achieved on the actual goal of cutting carbon emissions. I suppose we have to ask ourselves - what price we are prepared to pay as a society to fight global warming?

A new campaign

Avaaz.org is a new global online movement and has been set up by the people behind MoveOn.org in the US. They are going to use the internet in much the same way as MoveOn to mobilise people at their desks.

First up they are going to be running TV ads and lobbying governments in the countries which are currently the worst carbon emitters - US, China, India, Russia, Japan, France, Germany, Italy, UK, Canada, and Brazil.

Show your support and sign their petition here.

The Apocalypse will be catered

At the moment - Wellington is undergoing a major disaster practice. The situation is that Petone has been hit by a 7.8 scale earthquake. Operations are being run out of the Beehive bunker, known as the National Response Centre, and when I walked past the entrance I couldnt help but laugh that their catering trolley from Bellamys had been left outside. So dont worry when disaster strikes - Bellamys will be on hand with their concrete-muffins and disgraceful sandwiches!

In other news - Al Gore was in town yesterday, well Auckland at least and presented his slide show on global warming. Even though everyone present had seen it before it was still apparently very entertaining. The right wing are running the line that Gore is just a self-promoter who is deliberately misleading. (unlike the man they all voted for in the US?).

The stadium issue is still bubbling away. Former All Black Ian Jones summed it up well last night on Sky's Re:Union show. "This is a chance to completely re think the way Rugby is presented, we could have parades down Queen St, street theatre - have a real party atmosphere before the game begins and then carry on through the night at all the clubs and bars close by. Its a no-brainer."

Sir Ron Scott (the guy who organised the 1974 Christchurch Commonwealth Games) has backed the new stadium also saying that this is a chance for Auckland to have an accessible venue, that not only hosts Rugby and Cricket, but like Wellington will host concerts, conferences and trade shows. Unfortunately Auckland seems divided on the issue and at this point seem to be against it - Talkback host Leighton Smith said it would encourage "lowlifes and unsophisticated types" to hang around the central city - eh?

Russell Brown has written a great piece on the Stadium issue here. Its worth a read.

Time for bold action

I was in Levin at the weekend, and the NZ Film Festival has reached there (as it always does) so I took the old man to see Al Gore's An Inconvenient Truth at his suggestion.

In all there were only around 5 or 6 empty seats in theatre - which gives me hope. Climate Change has been all the rage this week - this screening was framed by the release of the Stern Report in Britain - which backs Gore up, and the NZ Labour conference where Helen set out her vision on the issue as follows:

I believe it’s time to be bold in this area.

Why shouldn’t New Zealand aim to be the first country which is truly sustainable? Not by sacrificing our living standards, but by being smart and determined.

We can now move to develop more renewable energy, biofuels, public transport alternatives, and minimise, if not eliminate, waste to landfills.

We could aim to be carbon neutral.

I believe that sustainability will be a core value in 21st century social democracy.

· I want New Zealand to be in the vanguard of making it happen – for our own sakes, and for the sake of our planet.
· I want sustainability to be central to New Zealand’s unique national identity.

And fostering our unique national identity is central to the purpose of our government, and to my purpose in being in politics.

Our country is special, and our people are special.

Oh and Brash says he's still not sure there really is an issue. Winner.

An Inconvenient Truth

Ive just got back from seeing Al Gore's An Inconvenient Truth. That was easily one of the most important films I have ever seen.

Gore uses simple language to communicate such an important issue - Im completely inspired to actually do something about this.

Nuclear disarmament was our parents issue during the 70s and 80s, I cant help but think this is our issue, and we're at what Churchill called a "Period of Consequence" no longer is talking good enough we need action.