Helen Mandeno: A Real Climate Catastrophe

Mahala squats in a smoke-filled hut cooking her mielie meal for her three children.  Coughing racks her frail body.  No school today for the kids – dysentery again.  Somehow Mahala must find the strength to walk the long journey for more animal manure to keep her fire going and to fill her one water pot.  She has no life expectancy.  She has no ‘life’.

Meanwhile, on the other side of the world, Evie finishes writing her sign.  It states “climate emergency – catastrophe for my generation”.  She decides to change again – “I don’t want to look over-dressed”.  Her Mum has promised to drop her off at the park in her SUV as she goes to yoga.   Evie has a party tonight to celebrate a friend’s 18^th birthday.  The party is on her dad’s super yacht.

The difference is stark.  Evie’s world had unfettered access to coal, oil and gas.  Mahala’s world has been denied the use of their considerable natural resource.

Ian Bradford: Cyclones - Weather Events Not Climate

We have just seen an example of what has happened all around the world when someone- usually a scientist, dared question the so called “settled science” that humans are responsible for climate change.  By now, thousands of honest scientists have lost their jobs, been victimised, and bullied because they have dared to speak out.  After Maureen Pugh wanted to see the evidence that humans were causing climate change, she received the same treatment from a range of Parliamentarians who haven’t an ounce of science between them.  Then the science illiterate media got in on the act too. Sadly, Maureen, like Gallileo, a long time ago, had to retract.  

I predicted this would happen.  Cyclone Gabrielle would be used by the climate alarmists to further the cause of anthropogenic climate change. 

Viv Forbes: Not Green at All

“Green” policies are destroying the natural environment and changing local weather. This is part of a futile UN scheme claiming to improve the climate of the world.

All green energy degrades its environment.

Take wind power.

Wind turbines steal energy from the atmosphere and must affect local weather. Turbines are always placed on the highest ground and along ridges to catch more wind. Natural hills already affect local weather by causing more rain along the ridge, and a rain shadow further downwind. Wind turbines enhance this rain shadow effect by robbing the wind of its ability to take moisture and rain into the drier interior. Promoting more inland desertification is not green.

Barend Vlaardingerbroek: Coming to grips with the real culprit in climate change

Leafy greens are leading culprits in climate change through their excessive production of the principal greenhouse gas water vapour and should be banned 

Water vapour is Earth's most abundant greenhouse gas. It's responsible for about half of Earth's greenhouse effect — the process that occurs when gases in Earth's atmosphere trap the Sun's heat.   – Google (original emphasis)

All this prattle about carbon dioxide and methane is just a distraction. Google goes on to state that water vapour can make up 4% of the atmosphere. That’s 100X the concentration of CO₂!

If we are going to get serious about the threat of climate change, we must take firm measures to prevent water vapour from entering the atmosphere.

NZCPR Newsletter: Labour Plans an Act of ‘Mega Stupidity’

It seems inconceivable that at a time of hyper-inflation and global unrest, any government would deliberately destabilise the agricultural sector by introducing policies that would increase costs to primary producers, reduce production, and fuel price increases. Yet that’s what Jacinda Ardern’s Labour Government is planning to do.

And how are they justifying these radical changes?

Our Prime Minister, as the poster child of modern-day socialism, wants to once again boast on the world stage that she’s taking the lead in climate policy - this time by introducing a price on agricultural emissions of greenhouse gases.

Gary Kerkin: Is Net Zero For New Zealand Worth $550 Billion Dollars?

Last month Michael Kelly, Emeritus Prince Philip Professor of Technology at the The University of Cambridge, a New Zealander, published a Note under the auspices of of the Global Warming Policy Forum, London, entitled “NET ZERO FOR NEW ZEALAND - A report from a Putative Delivery Agency”[1] stating in the Executive Summary:

The cost to 2050 will comfortably exceed $550 billion, a workforce comparable in size to the health sector will be required for 30 years, including a doubling of the present number of electrical engineers, and it will need about 10% of the global annual production of lithium, cobalt, neodymium and other materials.

Given his credentials and reputation there is no reason to doubt his findings which suggests an expenditure of around $290,000 per dwelling or an average of $110,000 per person over the next 28 years. The Net Zero Emissions Legislation (NZEL) will enforce this as an annual tax on everyone.

Can we afford such an impost? Or, even more importantly, is such an impost necessary?

Clive Bibby: Madness versus Common Sense

Whatever New Zealand does in isolation as its contribution to the world wide battle against climate change, it will have next to zero affect on whether or not we reach or even get close to the IPCC’s greenhouse gas emissions reductions that they say will be required to save the planet.

I can make that statement with confidence that l will be proved right simply because those key nations who have the capacity to collectively turn things around, with or without our help, are in fact increasing their use of fossil fuels at an alarming rate and as a result, increasing their emissions as if there was no tomorrow. In that context, our efforts, no matter how self sacrificial, will be like a blip on the radar as the rest of the world continues to condone the destructive activities of those who could and should be making a difference.

Our efforts will be a complete and utter waste of time.

Matt Ridley: The Madness Of Our Worship Of Wind

They despoil our glorious countryside, add £6 billion a year to our household bills and are arguably the most inefficient solution to our energy crisis. So why is the Government planning to make it even easier to build them?

Take a wild guess at how much of the UK’s total primary demand for energy was supplied by wind power in 2020.

Half? 30 per cent? No, in fact, it was less than 4 per cent.

That’s right, all those vast wind farms in the North Sea, or disfiguring the hills of Wales and Scotland, give us little more than one-thirtieth of the energy we need to light and heat our homes, power our businesses or move our cars and trains. Just think what this country and its seas would look like if we relied on wind for one-third or half of our energy needs.

NZCPR Newsletter: Lessons for New Zealand

The shock invasion of the Ukraine serves as a grim reminder of the fragility of freedom and democracy in the face of powerful totalitarian aggressors.

The leadership shown by the President of the Ukraine, the former actor Volodymyr Zelenskyy, and the bravery of the Ukrainian people, who have taken up arms to defend their country, stands in sharp contrast to the seeming impotence of the West. While supplies of weapons to support the ‘people’s army’ and sanctions against Vladimir Putin and Russia are all-important, as the aggressor unleashes its military might, the Ukrainians are effectively standing alone.

Many lessons are emerging from this deadly conflict.

Derek Mackie: James and the giant underpants!

Once upon a time there was a teenage boy called James. He lived in a small village with the unusual name of Sealeville-on-the-Ryse, which had one of the best beaches in New Zealand - for now at least! It was a popular day trip for residents from the nearby coal mining town of Shawbottom, James’ birthplace. 

 James loved everything about nature. He would get very upset when he saw people ripping up the ground with their machines, letting cows and sheep eat the grass, and cutting down trees they had planted to make stuff - what we would call mining, farming and forestry! 

 James believed that the environment should be left untouched and pristine and constantly lectured his poor, long-suffering parents about how bad people were for the planet. 

“But where do you think your dinner comes from?” they would ask. 

“The supermarket, of course!” replied James. “I’m not stupid, you know!”

His parents, Mr and Mrs Green, had a different view on that but didn’t want to upset James, who naturally assumed he was right. He always got very intolerant with people who disagreed with him, and had an annoying habit of pointing at them and shouting “you’re cancelled”, so they kept quiet. 

Viv Forbes: More Trees, Less Grass, No Food

Trying to bury carbon dioxide deep underground is another fashionable green fantasy. It consumes big dollars for taxpayer subsidies but coal and gas producers will love it as it wastes energy and will increase demand for reliable energy. Artificial carbon capture is an unnecessary waste - the grasslands, forests, crops and continental shelf of Australia sequester far more carbon dioxide than Australia emits from all energy, transport, agriculture and mining sources.

Australia has 440 million hectares of grasslands – that 4.4 M sq km is larger than Europe’s total area of 3.5 M sq km. We also have 147 million hectares of native forests, 1.8 million hectares of plantations and 4% of the world’s global forest estate. Australia has the world’s sixth largest forest area and the fourth-largest area of forest in nature conservation reserves. We are not short of trees.

Owen Jennings: The Price to be Paid

The service station down the road in Auckland has 91 priced over $2.65 per litre for the first time.  It was only a few months ago it was under $2.00. 

Prime Minister Ardern said we are being “fleeced”.  More like we are being “skinned”, wool and all.  It seems to slip her mind that half the “fleecing” is being done by her government.  They are grabbing $1.45 of that $2.65.  Having ratcheted up spending the government now needs all the revenue they can get their hands on. Having captured a moment’s limelight for making the claim she has moved on, yet again to another publicity podium, unable to deliver any outcome of substance.

Our electricity prices are also escalating. 

Melanie Phillips: Downing Street's green emperor has no clothes

Boris Johnson's government is in denial over the crisis it has created

In a hole, Boris Johnson is still digging — oblivious to the toxic rubble he’s piling up in the process.

Off to the US to persuade the Biden administration to stop dragging its feet over “climate change” targets at next month’s COP 26 climate summit, Britain’s prime minister played down the chances of world leaders agreeing to a $100 billion fund to help the developing world “go green”. Said Johnson:

It's going to be tough. But people need to understand that this is crucial for the world.

Ye gods! How can such an intelligent man be so bone-headedly…dumb?? It’s Boris Johnson who needs to understand that the policy he is promoting of Net Zero carbon emissions is leading his country and the world off the edge of an economic and social cliff.