Latest articles on climate action
1.5° locked-and-loaded and looking down the barrel at >2°
Climate camps and the world’s shortest year
And the prize for the most foolish first line goes to: “Climate change advocates will be buoyed by data which has emerged from the US today.” Admittedly, the New Zealand Herald is not alone in using the ludicrous phrase ‘climate change…
Energy and the dammed Mahurangi
Dam the Mahurangi River and generate electricity. Such a proposal would face fierce opposition. But what if the dam was already in place; built more than a century since. The dam, otherwise known as the Wilson cement works weir, is located almost…
Overreact now to Gulf invasion and war on a habitable climate
What we need is a decent nuclear accident, then they’ll vote Values. That was well before Chernobyl, in fact five years before Three Mile Island. And sadly, the self-appointed Values Party spokesman wasn’t being factious. Aside from the tragic state of mind that would...
Anthropocene ensures Holocene has had its day
Geology was one of Ronald Locker’s abiding passions. In his chapter Laying the Foundations, Jade River : A History of the Mahurangi’s author succinctly explains the processes that gave rise to the Mahurangi—how this landscape of outstanding natural beauty…
Matrix can help save landscape and planet
Saving the planet was once a euphemism for environmental prissiness. Much better to look after numero uno, one’s family, the community or, at a pinch, the local environment. But that has changed dramatically due to the diminishing window of opportunity to mitigate,...
Time to swipe the black card
It is a $2 million-demonstration of the power of packaging. Fully 11% of the SuperGold Card travel budget has been used on trips to Waiheke Island, apparently helping put the scheme $12 million over budget. Although any discount and concession scheme would have been...
co2 can come before and after warming
It’s a perfectly reasonable question. If, following ice ages, a rise in carbon dioxide followed global warming, why is the scientific consensus that the current rise is causing global warming? The short answer is that increased levels of carbon dioxide can both cause, and…
Global alliance news is as good as it gets
It may not always seem like it. Nevertheless, the editorial policy of the Mahurangi Magazine is for it be good-news publication. But that is good-news, as opposed to head-in-the-sand news, when it comes to inconvenient truths. The successful inaugural conference of...
Avoid ‘dredging’ with access code
Dredging, by definition, is a dirty business. Which is why the draft working paper addressing the issue uses the code access. While many will see this as inexcusable political correctness, it is actually entirely sound to define the objective, rather than just one...
Media ineptitude and world awash with disinformation
Classical propaganda is instantly recognisable. It flutters to earth from an enemy aircraft or is plastered up in the form of clumsy government-printed posters in public places. But the art of the propagandist has become extraordinarily sophisticated, and civilisation...
Wonderful, wonderful Copenhagen accord
Appearances can be deceptive. Copenhagen 18 December 2009, might not have looked and sounded like a turning point in history. But time determines what constitutes a moment in history, not the preconceived expectations of conference critics.…
High time to ramp up response
Blame it on that unabashed alarmist, Noah. For establishing the notion that humanity could be wilfully drowned and a fresh start would only be few months in an ark away. The sad fact is that not all the animals can be saved. Sure, the likes of the lions and…
Twin Streams floated their punt
Project Twin Streams features in the Royal Commission on Auckland Governance recommendations, and that is a promising sign for the Mahurangi. The 788-page report, which is eminently readable, is peppered with examples that…
Sustainable energy without the hot air
Bill Gates puts it as well as anyone: “If someone wants an overall view of how energy gets used, where it comes from, and the challenges in switching to new sources, this is the book to read.” Sustainable Energy: Without the Hot Air was written by physicist…
Well-spotted that big riverboat wheel
Master mariner Melvyn Bowen warmed up his audience with a quiz: ”Where am I?” he asked of the dozen or so who turned out on Friday evening to hear from the commercial sail aficionado. The first image of the presentation was of Melvyn stood…