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The place for NZ oriented news releases on climate change and related energy policy.
BP's New Eco Petrol – Not Quite the Ultimate
The Environmental Defence Society today queried why BP’s new petrol - called Ultimate - is a greener product in Australia than it is in New Zealand.
“It falls a quite bit short of the ultimate, measured by their own standards,” said EDS energy spokesperson, Garry Law.
“The petrol is sourced from Perth in Western Australia and has been launched as a new "green" product on the Australian market as well, under the same name. But the Australian product is less polluting.
The Environmental Defence Society today queried why BP’s new petrol - called Ultimate - is a greener product in Australia than it is in New Zealand.
“It falls a quite bit short of the ultimate, measured by their own standards,” said EDS energy spokesperson, Garry Law.
“The petrol is sourced from Perth in Western Australia and has been launched as a new "green" product on the Australian market as well, under the same name. But the Australian product is less polluting.
Climate Change and Local Government interim report
The Local Government and Environment committee has been considering the
role of local government in meeting New Zealand's climate change target. The
committee calls for co-ordinated proactive steps from both central and
local government, noting that decisions may have significant implications for
everyday life and business. The report points out that reducing CO2
emissions is the key beneficial contribution to have been identified and
examines how local government can achieve that. The committee is now
calling for submissions on its inquiry with a closing date of March 15th 2001.
The Local Government and Environment committee has been considering the
role of local government in meeting New Zealand's climate change target. The
committee calls for co-ordinated proactive steps from both central and
local government, noting that decisions may have significant implications for
everyday life and business. The report points out that reducing CO2
emissions is the key beneficial contribution to have been identified and
examines how local government can achieve that. The committee is now
calling for submissions on its inquiry with a closing date of March 15th 2001.
Simon Upton on The Hague and ratifying Kyoto
The Government's plan to ratify the Kyoto Protocol on climate change by mid-2002 is far too optimistic if it wants to have public backing, says former Environment Minister Simon Upton.
Mr Upton was minister for most of the 1990s and represented New Zealand at the Kyoto meeting three years ago, when developed countries set themselves targets to reduce their emissions of the greenhouse gases blamed for global climate change.
The Government's plan to ratify the Kyoto Protocol on climate change by mid-2002 is far too optimistic if it wants to have public backing, says former Environment Minister Simon Upton.
Mr Upton was minister for most of the 1990s and represented New Zealand at the Kyoto meeting three years ago, when developed countries set themselves targets to reduce their emissions of the greenhouse gases blamed for global climate change.
NZ Herald Opinion Piece
There has always been a suspicion about the more fervent Greens that when it came to the crunch the environment would turn out to be less important than their real agenda. It came to the crunch at The Hague.
There, in the name of the United Nations, environment ministers of member countries spent two weeks arguing about how to arrest the increase of carbon dioxide in the atmosphere that seems to be causing a global warming.
There has always been a suspicion about the more fervent Greens that when it came to the crunch the environment would turn out to be less important than their real agenda. It came to the crunch at The Hague.
There, in the name of the United Nations, environment ministers of member countries spent two weeks arguing about how to arrest the increase of carbon dioxide in the atmosphere that seems to be causing a global warming.
Equatorial waters hold undercurrent to global warming .
As much as 50 percent of biological production in global oceans occurs in the eastern equatorial Pacific, making it an ideal laboratory to study the factors involved. ...
"Until now, it's been assumed that atmospheric conditions, such as the trade winds blowing across the tropics, largely controlled ocean conditions in the eastern equatorial Pacific," says Paul Loubere, a geosciences professor at Northern Illinois University whose work appears in a recent issue of Nature. "My research presents the first evidence that there's something else to consider."
That something else is the Equatorial Undercurrent, an undersea ribbon of water that originates south of New Zealand, zigzags along the western edge of the South Pacific and stretches across the equator.
As much as 50 percent of biological production in global oceans occurs in the eastern equatorial Pacific, making it an ideal laboratory to study the factors involved. ...
"Until now, it's been assumed that atmospheric conditions, such as the trade winds blowing across the tropics, largely controlled ocean conditions in the eastern equatorial Pacific," says Paul Loubere, a geosciences professor at Northern Illinois University whose work appears in a recent issue of Nature. "My research presents the first evidence that there's something else to consider."
That something else is the Equatorial Undercurrent, an undersea ribbon of water that originates south of New Zealand, zigzags along the western edge of the South Pacific and stretches across the equator.
New Zealand in Key Negotiations to unstall COP 6
5 December 2000
Informal consultations are scheduled to begin this Wednesday in Ottawa,
Canada, in an attempt to revive the stalled climate negotiations. Senior
officials from key developed countries will resume discussions on the
so-called "crunch" issues, the outstanding areas that caused the breakdown
of talks at COP-6, held two weeks ago in The Hague. They will focus on
carbon "sinks," limits to emissions trading, and the compliance regime.
The participating countries are: Australia, Belgium, Canada, the E.C.,
France, Germany, Iceland, Japan, Norway, the Netherlands, New Zealand,
Russia, Sweden, the U.K. and the U.S.
The purpose of the meeting is to explore areas of common ground between the
EU and the rest of the OECD countries, in preparation for a
ministerial-level meeting tentatively scheduled for next week in Oslo. The
Clinton Administration is reported to have requested the Government of
Norway to host Ministerial Consultations in the week before Christmas.
Any agreement resulting from the consultations in Ottawa and Oslo would be
conditional on approval from all countries at the formal resumption of COP-6
in May 2001. A key challenge will be to sell the deal to developing
countries, which will not be represented in Ottawa.
IISD Reporting Services
Earth Negotiations Bulletin
5 December 2000
Informal consultations are scheduled to begin this Wednesday in Ottawa,
Canada, in an attempt to revive the stalled climate negotiations. Senior
officials from key developed countries will resume discussions on the
so-called "crunch" issues, the outstanding areas that caused the breakdown
of talks at COP-6, held two weeks ago in The Hague. They will focus on
carbon "sinks," limits to emissions trading, and the compliance regime.
The participating countries are: Australia, Belgium, Canada, the E.C.,
France, Germany, Iceland, Japan, Norway, the Netherlands, New Zealand,
Russia, Sweden, the U.K. and the U.S.
The purpose of the meeting is to explore areas of common ground between the
EU and the rest of the OECD countries, in preparation for a
ministerial-level meeting tentatively scheduled for next week in Oslo. The
Clinton Administration is reported to have requested the Government of
Norway to host Ministerial Consultations in the week before Christmas.
Any agreement resulting from the consultations in Ottawa and Oslo would be
conditional on approval from all countries at the formal resumption of COP-6
in May 2001. A key challenge will be to sell the deal to developing
countries, which will not be represented in Ottawa.
IISD Reporting Services
Earth Negotiations Bulletin
Cities to compete on climate action?
Christchurch should go head to head with Australia over efforts to reduce greenhouse gas emissions, a visiting American climate change expert says.
Richard Heede, an official from the Rocky Mountain Institute, addressed the Christchurch City Council yesterday with a proposal that the city compete with the Australian city of Newcastle over climate-change initiatives.
Christchurch should go head to head with Australia over efforts to reduce greenhouse gas emissions, a visiting American climate change expert says.
Richard Heede, an official from the Rocky Mountain Institute, addressed the Christchurch City Council yesterday with a proposal that the city compete with the Australian city of Newcastle over climate-change initiatives.
New Zealand to push ahead on domestic climate policy
New Zealand would push ahead with plans to ratify the Kyoto Protocol by mid-2002 and introduce policies to limit greenhouse gas emissions despite the failure of the talks.
"The early policy stuff that has been done on energy efficiency has economic benefits, so that will continue," the spokesman said.
"There is no good reason to stop just at the moment because it is still not clear if there is going to be an agreement in the middle of next year."
The Government has said Kyoto ratification will promote New Zealand's clean, green image and encourage other nations to act on global warming.
A raft of measures are being considered to help cut New Zealand's greenhouse gas emissions, including a carbon tax, which will be looked into by the Tax Review next year, emissions trading, and industry agreements to lower emissions.
New Zealand would push ahead with plans to ratify the Kyoto Protocol by mid-2002 and introduce policies to limit greenhouse gas emissions despite the failure of the talks.
"The early policy stuff that has been done on energy efficiency has economic benefits, so that will continue," the spokesman said.
"There is no good reason to stop just at the moment because it is still not clear if there is going to be an agreement in the middle of next year."
The Government has said Kyoto ratification will promote New Zealand's clean, green image and encourage other nations to act on global warming.
A raft of measures are being considered to help cut New Zealand's greenhouse gas emissions, including a carbon tax, which will be looked into by the Tax Review next year, emissions trading, and industry agreements to lower emissions.
New Zealand Herald Opinion Piece
The Greens, by and large, try to be constructive. Take Jeanette Fitzsimons. She preferred to be part of Pete Hodgson's official delegation to the climate change summit at The Hague, rather than standing aloof and bagging him for the summit's failure. She got no headlines.
The Greens, by and large, try to be constructive. Take Jeanette Fitzsimons. She preferred to be part of Pete Hodgson's official delegation to the climate change summit at The Hague, rather than standing aloof and bagging him for the summit's failure. She got no headlines.
Simon Upton on The Hague
The failure to reach agreement in the end may be no bad thing, if only because it may cause the parties to consider both the wisdom of the process they have been engaged in and some of the policy compromises that have from the outset bedevilled the whole climate convention. An agreement for the sake of concluding one would not necessarily have been a good thing.
When the parties meet again - possibly as soon as May - they will be in possession of something called TAR - the Third Assessment Report of the Inter-governmental Panel on Climate Change (the IPCC). This should provide the most detailed and authoritative account so far of where the science has got to.
The failure to reach agreement in the end may be no bad thing, if only because it may cause the parties to consider both the wisdom of the process they have been engaged in and some of the policy compromises that have from the outset bedevilled the whole climate convention. An agreement for the sake of concluding one would not necessarily have been a good thing.
When the parties meet again - possibly as soon as May - they will be in possession of something called TAR - the Third Assessment Report of the Inter-governmental Panel on Climate Change (the IPCC). This should provide the most detailed and authoritative account so far of where the science has got to.
