Latest news with #ParisAccord
NZ Herald
9 hours ago
- Business
- NZ Herald
Groundswell and the new scaremongering about climate action
Some people found this month's ravaging floods in Nelson and Tasman quite scary, but never mind. Plans to identify who's helping to cause floods like that and who's helping to prevent them are apparently much worse. Talk about scaremongering. What does the taxonomy plan really mean? AgriZeroNZ has one answer. This joint venture between the Government, agribusinesses and banks has just announced a $6.3 million investment in BiomEdit. BiomEdit is an Indiana-based company that makes probiotic feed additives designed to boost productivity and reduce methane emissions from dairy cows. This is AgriZeroNZ's third such investment. Chief executive Wayne McNee says, 'We're investing in local and global companies to give us the best chance of providing New Zealand farmers with access to a range of affordable, effective mitigation solutions to choose from.' The taxonomy plan will allow this kind of financing to be accurately and independently assessed and labelled. Why would anyone call that 'the scariest thing'? Groundswell has come a long way in a short time. In 2020 this group of Southland farmers started to build a nationwide network with tractor convoy protests, sporting slogans like 'No tax on food production' and 'Don't bite the hand that feeds you'. Part of a Groundswell protest at Parliament. Photo / Mark Mitchell Back then, Groundswell was relatively fringe. Since then, it has channelled climate denialism and anti-government campaigns into high-powered lobbying. I know, they will say they're not denialists. But in my view they consistently do their best to block climate action in the rural sector. They want us out of the Paris Accord and they argue methane has been unfairly targeted. They quack like a duck. To me, they're having the same impact as climate denialists. And their lobbying is effective. In my opinion, Groundswell has bent the Feds increasingly to their views and they have influential supporters in all three parties of Government. Back to sustainable finance taxonomy, which has been proposed by Climate Change Minister Simon Watts. As press gallery journalist Richard Harman has reported, his plan aligns with similar moves in Australia and the European Union. Climate Change Minister Simon Watts. Photo/ RNZ / The Centre for Sustainable Finance calls it 'a standardised framework for classifying economic activities according to their environmental performance'. The centre is a co-ordinating group that includes all the major banks and several of the big law and accountancy firms. When Watts floated the idea last September, he said, 'The strategy will provide the necessary clarity for financing and investments, helping New Zealand align with global sustainability trends. This alignment will not only attract investment but also increase jobs and drive economic growth locally.' If you think that sounds like a framework to allow banks to assess the climate impacts of lending proposals, you'd be right. Groundswell and the Feds are opposed and, in parallel, Act and NZ First both have private member's bills intended to make it illegal for financial institutions to consider 'ideology' or 'reputational risk' in their lending decisions. 'Woke banks!' complains NZ First. NZ First leader Winston Peters visiting the Covid-related protest at Parliament in 2022. Photo / Mark Mitchell This is absurd. Banks aren't driven by green ideology: they know that lending to ventures that could be undermined by climate change is bad business. They also know the world is full of greenwashing. The law firm Russell McVeagh says taxonomy 'could reduce both the risk of organisations describing financial products in a way that is accused of being misleading (greenwashing) and the risk of organisations staying silent on sustainability-related matters to avoid being accused of making misleading statements (greenhushing)'. Is that BiomEdit work credible? Sustainable finance taxonomy, done well, will tell us the answer. If it's yes, it can be promoted; if it's no, funding agencies can move on. Standing in the way of this is, to me, the same as denialism. It's also hypocritical, when it's done by political groups who claim to believe in the value of the market. Sustainable Finance Taxonomy empowers the market to make economically informed decisions. Russell McVeagh says it 'could allow the development of new financial products, such as KiwiSaver products that align ... with taxonomy criteria'. What a good thing that would be. Where does National stand on all this? Does Watts represent the party position or are the politics more subtle than that? National's climate response is very oddly mixed. To take just one example: oil and gas exploration is supposed to be restarting but the legislation to allow this is a long time coming. There's more rhetoric than reason in this policy, because it's well known that new exploration will not solve the twin energy crises of customer pricing and precarious supply. This is because prospecting outcomes are uncertain and the timelines are far too long. Meanwhile, Watts has put incentives in place to expand urban residential and rural solar power, but there's very little action to back them up. One way to read this is to assume Watts has been designated to build National's appeal to the climate-conscious middle ground of the electorate. But the party is terrified of losing provincial and rural votes to Act and NZ First, so Watts gets to say more than he gets to do. And while the oil and gas policy won't change anything we need changing, it does reward some very well-oiled lobbying from the fossil-fuel sector. Also, it allows Shane Jones to keep up the inflammatory posturing. Resources Minister Shane Jones during his appearance at the Economic Development Select Committee hearing this year. Photo / Mark Mitchell Which, in turn, provides cover for Government inaction on what's really needed: meaningful, customer-focused, climate-conscious reform of the energy sector. Where does this leave sustainable finance taxonomy? Will the Government support this initiative to reduce emissions and build climate resilience? Or will it cave in to Groundswell-inspired climate denialism and attack the ideologically-rotten greenies running the banks? It's a common view that the coalition Government has brought a new maturity to MMP, because the major party has worked out how to let the minor parties strut their own stuff, even when it's outrageous, while it gets on with its own programme. But real MMP maturity would involve more than this. If National supports Watts' plan for sorting the real climate action from the fake, and its partners are away chasing their denialist base, it should call on Opposition support. Call out that 'scariest thing yet' nonsense: that's how to stop the tail wagging the dog. And getting a mid-ground consensus to do the right thing is also very likely the way to build more trust and respect for politicians. Simon Wilson is an award-winning senior writer covering politics, the climate crisis, transport, housing, urban design and social issues, with a focus on Auckland. He joined the Herald in 2018.
Business Recorder
3 days ago
- Business
- Business Recorder
2nd phase of ‘Suthra Punjab Programme' launched
LAHORE: The Punjab government has launched the Suthra Punjab Program into the next phase of waste recycling in which landfill sites considered an environmental challenge will be converted into national assets. Under this initiative, Pakistan is expected to earn Rs 1 billion annually from the carbon credit of the Lakhodare waste dumping site located on the outskirts of the provincial capital; the carbon credit will be claimed under Article 6 of the Paris Accord. The Lakhodare site can produce 20 tons of biogas. The Punjab government also plans to build a recycling park on the outskirts of Lahore under this project. In this connection, Punjab Local Government Minister Zeeshan Rafiq chaired a meeting on Saturday to consider various options for waste recycling. Punjab Local Government Secretary Shakeel Ahmed Mian, Additional Secretary for Development Ahmer Kaifi and others attended the meeting. On this occasion, Lahore Waste Management Company (LWMC) CEO Babar Sahib Din briefed the meeting on various options for waste recycling. While addressing the meeting, the Minister said that a plan to generate energy from offal is under consideration; 1000 tonnes of energy can be generated from offal in Lahore alone. He directed the concerned officials to hold a road show in Lahore or Islamabad to promote the waste-to-energy projects, saying foreign diplomats would be invited to the road show. 'It will also be held abroad to attract investors,' he said, adding that the waste will be utilised in other cities after Lahore under this programme. On this occasion, Punjab Secretary Local Government Shakeel Ahmed Mian directed the LWMC CEO to make a comprehensive presentation for the Chief Minister. He said that waste is being made usable all over the world because recycling is the solution to the environmental damage caused by waste. Babar Sahib Din said that a 50 MW power plant project is also under consideration with the cooperation of the Punjab Energy Department. 'A large amount of waste is collected in Lahore every day under the Clean Punjab, and many domestic and foreign companies have shown interest in recycling waste,' he added. Copyright Business Recorder, 2025
Vancouver Sun
03-07-2025
- Climate
- Vancouver Sun
Canada's wildfire emissions exceeded all other sources in 2023: Report
A new report highlights how Canada's worst wildfire season on record in 2023 caused more greenhouse-gas emissions than all other sources combined. The report follows a warning from Canadian officials that the 2025 wildfire season will likely be the second worst on record. The 2023 wildfires released nearly one gigatonne — or one billion tonnes — of carbon dioxide from Canada's forests, an amount that far exceeds the total emissions of 694 megatonnes from all other sources of emissions in Canada that same year, according to a report from the Canadian Climate Institute. The report looks at the latest data from Canada's National Inventory Report on greenhouse-gas emissions, which contains an entry for the CO2 released by wildfires. However, wildfire CO2 emissions are not counted toward Canada's official greenhouse-gas targets. Start your day with a roundup of B.C.-focused news and opinion. By signing up you consent to receive the above newsletter from Postmedia Network Inc. A welcome email is on its way. If you don't see it, please check your junk folder. The next issue of Sunrise will soon be in your inbox. Please try again Interested in more newsletters? Browse here. It's not just Canada omitting wildfire emissions either. Most countries exclude forest fires as they strive to meet targets set out in the Paris Accord to limit global warming to 1.5 C above pre-industrial levels. Canada's CO2 entry for wildfires also doesn't include other gases released by wildfires such as methane. Dave Sawyer, principal economist with the Canadian Climate Institute, says the aim of the report is to highlight why it's important to keep reducing emissions across all other sectors, such as oil-and-gas, as wildfires become more frequent and intense because of climate change. 'We like to shine a spotlight on data and information to draw people's attention to it. And the wildfires are clearly an important topic right now,' he said Wednesday. 'Every tonne matters.' While no single wildfire is caused by climate change, the report says they're made likelier and more intense as hotter temperatures dry out vegetation. Wildfires also accelerate climate change because they are massive sources of carbon emissions, the report adds. Sawyer said data show that since 2010 the frequency and intensity of disasters like wildfires, floods and storms have been climbing across Canada, but most notably in Alberta. 'We've come into this new era of annual forest fires that are big and releasing all kinds of carbon and releasing all kinds of particulates that have significant health effects,' he said. 'There's this notion that Canada is a small emitter and therefore we're not responsible. And it's just not the way the science works. Every tonne of emissions has damages associated with it.' The climate report notes that if Canada's wildfires were a country, they would have been the world's eighth- largest emitter of greenhouse gases in 2023. Summer only just started a week ago but already there have been hundreds of devastating fires across Western Canada, forcing thousands of residents from their homes and causing poor air quality in many communities. Officials have warned that this year's season is on track to be the second worst on record, in terms of area burned. In a technical briefing last month in Ottawa, Michael Norton, director general of the Northern Forestry Centre with Natural Resources Canada, said forecasters are expecting a hot and dry summer, leading to increased fire danger conditions for much of Western and Northern Canada. Modelling by Environment and Climate Change Canada suggests temperatures will be about a degree or two above normal across the country through August, though the risk of wildfires remains highest in central and western provinces and territories. With files from The Canadian Press ticrawford@
Scoop
11-06-2025
- Business
- Scoop
Speech: Hon Andrew Hoggard To Federated Farmers At Fieldays
Speech – ACT New Zealand We want to see a thriving primary sector thats not weighed down by complexity, but supported to innovate, grow, and lead, says ACT MP Hon Andrew Hoggard. ACT MP Hon Andrew Hoggard Federated Farmers Rural Advocacy Hub Speaking Engagement Wednesday 11 June, 11:30 am Good morning, everyone. It's great to be back, and thank you for the opportunity to speak here today. I'd like to start by acknowledging the significant effort that's gone into organising this year's Fieldays Rural Advocacy Hub. These events don't happen without a lot of hard work behind the scenes, and it shows. I also want to acknowledge Federated Farmers and the many other farmer-led organisations who work tirelessly to support and advocate for the sector. As a dairy farmer and a former President of Federated Farmers, I know firsthand how important your work is. Whether it's in the regions or on the national stage, you give voice to rural communities, bring practical solutions to the table, and stand up for the interests of farmers and growers across New Zealand. This Government is firmly committed to backing you—by reducing costs, cutting unnecessary red tape, and strengthening frontline support. When I spoke at Fieldays last year, interest rates were a massive challenge for rural New Zealand. Make no mistake, that was Wellington's fault. It was the hangover from a Labour-led pandemic response that pumped out easy money without a productivity boost to match. Now we've reined in waste, got inflation back to the target range, and farmers are finally seeing real interest rates relief. We need to do more to cut the waste in Wellington, because the less resource the Government sucks up, the more is left over for people like you out in the real world trying to grow things. Over the past year, we've made real progress on red tape. We've started delivering on our promise to fix the resource management system and reduce the regulatory burden. Amending intensive winter grazing and stock exclusion rules. Pausing the rollout of freshwater farm plans while we make them more practical and affordable, and halting the identification of new Significant Natural Areas. Right now, we're consulting on a package of proposals aimed at streamlining or removing regulations that are holding the primary sector back. Most critically, we are consulting on changes to the NPS Freshwater 2020. There are several options being put forward. Now, if I remove my Minister hat and put on my ACT Party hat, we need to be bold. By that I mean Te Mana o te Wai needs to go. Worrying about the Paris Accord, whilst still a concern, is a sideshow compared to the hard calls we need to make with regards to RMA reform and the NPS Freshwater. Make no mistake, as a Party we have no interest in taxing the most carbon efficient farmers in the world, having methane targets far in excess of what is needed to play our part, sending billions offshore to be carbon neutral, or turning the lights off in homes or businesses through misguided energy policies. But if you ask me what area of policy scares me the most for the future of New Zealand farming, it is resource management and freshwater policy. Te Mana o te Wai has caused confusion amongst councils, and I see that if left in place its current trajectory will likely lead towards co-governance for regional councils, not just in policy but consenting as well, and policies that are based on vague spiritual concepts, not clear and simple water science balanced with societal needs. This debate will undoubtedly be noisy, but farming groups need to advocate strongly for clear unambiguous language in the NPS, individual farmers need to submit on what they are seeing and the stress this concept has caused many of them with regards to consenting. At the Treaty Principles Bill second reading debate many coalition party MPs stated that the Bill was too general, too broad-brushed, and that we should just focus on ensuring that we don't have unclear language and vague concepts in future bills and policies. Well I would suggest that this NPS Freshwater is a good test for those statements. You will see plenty of MPs here for the next few days playing farmer dress up, make sure you let them know you expect them to keep their word. Now, while I'm being a staunch ACT MP I also want to give a shout out to the Regulatory Standards Bill, for many of you undoubtedly are thinking, why should I care about something that sounds that boring. Real simple. If this Bill had been in place during my Feds presidency it would have made the job so much easier, as it would have highlighted some of the more impractical and stupid regulations that were dreamed up. Even if it didn't make the politicians think twice, at least the system would have shone a spotlight on the issues. We are so lucky that Bernadette Hunt got on the Hosking show and was able to show up some of the more daft parts of the winter grazing regs and they got changed within days, but they shouldn't have got that far. That's what the Regulatory Standards Bill will hopefully show up. But also, government doesn't just take away your hard-earned dollars through its fiscal policies. It also can take away your property rights through its regulatory policies, so this Bill will ensure that if those property rights are taken away then compensation should be forthcoming. This whole concept has complete distaste from the Left, and some lukewarm reception from everyone else but ACT. So, if more protection for property rights is something you want to see, make sure you put your case forward for it. Okay, back to being a Minister, if I can just highlight some of the other Government work that is going on that is relevant for farming. In the health and safety space, we've got Brooke van Velden leading reforms to get rid of over compliance, reduce paperwork, and make WorkSafe helpful, not harmful. I'm especially pleased about her work to protect landowners from liability when they allow recreational activities like horse trekking, hunting, or hiking on their land. It's about a shift from fear to freedom, opening up land for maximum enjoyment and enhancing the Kiwi way of life. We're also keen to empower farmers on the conservation front. I believe farmers are natural environmentalists. We live off the land, so we have every incentive to care for it. Many of us work to maintain stands of native bush or wetland on our land. For too long, the approach has been to punish this work, with councils looking at your land and saying, ' that looks pretty, in fact that natural area looks 'significant' and you're going to lose your property rights over that. ' It's all stick and no carrot. I think farmers deserve real credit for their contributions to biodiversity, and I'll have more to say about that at the Beef + Lamb stall tomorrow. In this year's Budget, we announced a 20% funding increase to tackle the spread of wilding pines—a major win for our landscapes and productive land. Another important change in this year's Budget is Investment Boost—a major new tax incentive to encourage business investment, support economic growth, and lift wages. If you're a farmer, tradie, manufacturer, or run any business, this matters to you. When you invest in new equipment, machinery, tools, vehicles, or technology—you'll now be able to deduct 20% of that cost immediately from your taxable income. It's a straightforward way to help reduce your tax bill and support decisions that lift productivity and grow your business. To put it simply, we're backing your success. We want to see a thriving primary sector that's not weighed down by complexity, but supported to innovate, grow, and lead. I want to thank Federated Farmers, and many of you here, for the constructive role you've played in helping shape these changes. Your feedback is vital to making sure the final rules are workable, sensible, and fit for purpose. Thank you again for the chance to be here, and for everything you do to keep this sector moving forward. All the best for a successful and enjoyable Fieldays. Thank you.
Scoop
11-06-2025
- Business
- Scoop
Speech: Hon Andrew Hoggard To Federated Farmers At Fieldays
ACT MP Hon Andrew Hoggard Federated Farmers Rural Advocacy Hub Speaking Engagement Wednesday 11 June, 11:30 am Good morning, everyone. It's great to be back, and thank you for the opportunity to speak here today. I'd like to start by acknowledging the significant effort that's gone into organising this year's Fieldays Rural Advocacy Hub. These events don't happen without a lot of hard work behind the scenes, and it shows. I also want to acknowledge Federated Farmers and the many other farmer-led organisations who work tirelessly to support and advocate for the sector. As a dairy farmer and a former President of Federated Farmers, I know firsthand how important your work is. Whether it's in the regions or on the national stage, you give voice to rural communities, bring practical solutions to the table, and stand up for the interests of farmers and growers across New Zealand. This Government is firmly committed to backing you—by reducing costs, cutting unnecessary red tape, and strengthening frontline support. When I spoke at Fieldays last year, interest rates were a massive challenge for rural New Zealand. Make no mistake, that was Wellington's fault. It was the hangover from a Labour-led pandemic response that pumped out easy money without a productivity boost to match. Now we've reined in waste, got inflation back to the target range, and farmers are finally seeing real interest rates relief. We need to do more to cut the waste in Wellington, because the less resource the Government sucks up, the more is left over for people like you out in the real world trying to grow things. Over the past year, we've made real progress on red tape. We've started delivering on our promise to fix the resource management system and reduce the regulatory burden. Amending intensive winter grazing and stock exclusion rules. Pausing the rollout of freshwater farm plans while we make them more practical and affordable, and halting the identification of new Significant Natural Areas. Right now, we're consulting on a package of proposals aimed at streamlining or removing regulations that are holding the primary sector back. Most critically, we are consulting on changes to the NPS Freshwater 2020. There are several options being put forward. Now, if I remove my Minister hat and put on my ACT Party hat, we need to be bold. By that I mean Te Mana o te Wai needs to go. Worrying about the Paris Accord, whilst still a concern, is a sideshow compared to the hard calls we need to make with regards to RMA reform and the NPS Freshwater. Make no mistake, as a Party we have no interest in taxing the most carbon efficient farmers in the world, having methane targets far in excess of what is needed to play our part, sending billions offshore to be carbon neutral, or turning the lights off in homes or businesses through misguided energy policies. But if you ask me what area of policy scares me the most for the future of New Zealand farming, it is resource management and freshwater policy. Te Mana o te Wai has caused confusion amongst councils, and I see that if left in place its current trajectory will likely lead towards co-governance for regional councils, not just in policy but consenting as well, and policies that are based on vague spiritual concepts, not clear and simple water science balanced with societal needs. This debate will undoubtedly be noisy, but farming groups need to advocate strongly for clear unambiguous language in the NPS, individual farmers need to submit on what they are seeing and the stress this concept has caused many of them with regards to consenting. At the Treaty Principles Bill second reading debate many coalition party MPs stated that the Bill was too general, too broad-brushed, and that we should just focus on ensuring that we don't have unclear language and vague concepts in future bills and policies. Well I would suggest that this NPS Freshwater is a good test for those statements. You will see plenty of MPs here for the next few days playing farmer dress up, make sure you let them know you expect them to keep their word. Now, while I'm being a staunch ACT MP I also want to give a shout out to the Regulatory Standards Bill, for many of you undoubtedly are thinking, why should I care about something that sounds that boring. Real simple. If this Bill had been in place during my Feds presidency it would have made the job so much easier, as it would have highlighted some of the more impractical and stupid regulations that were dreamed up. Even if it didn't make the politicians think twice, at least the system would have shone a spotlight on the issues. We are so lucky that Bernadette Hunt got on the Hosking show and was able to show up some of the more daft parts of the winter grazing regs and they got changed within days, but they shouldn't have got that far. That's what the Regulatory Standards Bill will hopefully show up. But also, government doesn't just take away your hard-earned dollars through its fiscal policies. It also can take away your property rights through its regulatory policies, so this Bill will ensure that if those property rights are taken away then compensation should be forthcoming. This whole concept has complete distaste from the Left, and some lukewarm reception from everyone else but ACT. So, if more protection for property rights is something you want to see, make sure you put your case forward for it. Okay, back to being a Minister, if I can just highlight some of the other Government work that is going on that is relevant for farming. In the health and safety space, we've got Brooke van Velden leading reforms to get rid of over compliance, reduce paperwork, and make WorkSafe helpful, not harmful. I'm especially pleased about her work to protect landowners from liability when they allow recreational activities like horse trekking, hunting, or hiking on their land. It's about a shift from fear to freedom, opening up land for maximum enjoyment and enhancing the Kiwi way of life. We're also keen to empower farmers on the conservation front. I believe farmers are natural environmentalists. We live off the land, so we have every incentive to care for it. Many of us work to maintain stands of native bush or wetland on our land. For too long, the approach has been to punish this work, with councils looking at your land and saying, ' that looks pretty, in fact that natural area looks 'significant' and you're going to lose your property rights over that. ' It's all stick and no carrot. I think farmers deserve real credit for their contributions to biodiversity, and I'll have more to say about that at the Beef + Lamb stall tomorrow. In this year's Budget, we announced a 20% funding increase to tackle the spread of wilding pines—a major win for our landscapes and productive land. Another important change in this year's Budget is Investment Boost—a major new tax incentive to encourage business investment, support economic growth, and lift wages. If you're a farmer, tradie, manufacturer, or run any business, this matters to you. When you invest in new equipment, machinery, tools, vehicles, or technology—you'll now be able to deduct 20% of that cost immediately from your taxable income. It's a straightforward way to help reduce your tax bill and support decisions that lift productivity and grow your business. To put it simply, we're backing your success. We want to see a thriving primary sector that's not weighed down by complexity, but supported to innovate, grow, and lead. I want to thank Federated Farmers, and many of you here, for the constructive role you've played in helping shape these changes. Your feedback is vital to making sure the final rules are workable, sensible, and fit for purpose. Thank you again for the chance to be here, and for everything you do to keep this sector moving forward. All the best for a successful and enjoyable Fieldays. Thank you.
