Planetary Ecology

Should I ditch my fossil-fueled car?

Robert McLachlan • Jan 09, 2020

• car,
• consumer,
• electric cars,
• environmental footprint

Yes. Reducing the number of cars in your household, or switching from petrol/diesel to electric, will dramatically reduce your greenhouse gas emissions. It’s one of the easiest and highest-impact climate steps you can take. New Zealand is being flooded with cars The New Zealand vehicle fleet is increasing rapidly. In the five years 2012-2017,  1,420,000 vehicles were imported and 660,000 … Read More

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Blow, wind of fruitfulness

Robert McLachlan • Dec 20, 2019

• electricity,
• energy,
• renewable energy,
• Sustainability,
• Wind power

A short update on wind power in New Zealand, where there has been a string of positive announcements since I discussed the Turitea wind farm in May: On 22 May, Genesis committed to buy all the electricity from Tilt Renewables proposed 133 MW Waipipi wind farm at Waverley, south Taranaki, which allowed the project to go ahead. Read More

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CORSIA, coming soon to an airport near you

Robert McLachlan • Dec 07, 2019

• #nofly,
• aviation emissions,
• carbon offsetting,
• Greta Thunberg

On 27 September, Greta Thunberg addressed a crowd of 500,000 at the School Strike for Climate in Montreal, saying: “You are a nation that is allegedly a climate leader. And Sweden is also a nation that is allegedly a climate leader. And in both cases, it means absolutely nothing. Because in both cases, it’s just empty words. And the politics … Read More

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On the road to Net Zero, the next step is to update our UN pledge

Robert McLachlan • Nov 18, 2019

• carbon budget,
• carbon market,
• climate change,
• greenhouse gas emissions,
• Paris Agreement

A lot has happened since the UN’s report on 1.5ºC was released in October 2018. New Zealand’s Zero Carbon Bill has passed, and enshrines the 1.5ºC goal in law. The UK and France have also legally strengthened their targets to Net Zero 2050. The School Strike For Climate and Extinction Rebellion have become household names. But progress on the ground … Read More

Zero Carbon: It’s not just a good idea, it’s the law

Robert McLachlan • Nov 12, 2019

• climate change,
• greenhouse gas emissions,
• Zero Carbon Bill

Two years into New Zealand’s Labour-led government, the long-delayed Zero Carbon Bill became law on 7 November. Passed essentially unanimously, the lengthy public debates and political manoeuvring faded away until the final passage was even anticlimactic: Flipping through the @nzstuff @DomPost I was starting to wonder if I’d dreamt the whole #zerocarbonbill thing. Page 15?? … Read More

I’m so fly, I’m #NoFly!

Robert McLachlan • Oct 21, 2019

• #nofly,
• climate change,
• emissions,
• flight,
• Transport,
• Travel

#NoFly: Walking the talk on climate change, by Shaun Hendy. BWB Texts, 2019. Reviewed by Robert McLachlan In June 2018, Swede Maja Rosén founded We stay on the ground with a pledge not to fly in 2019, and a goal of persuading 100,000 other Swedes to join her. In August, her compatriot Greta Thunberg began her school strike for … Read More

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Collins crushes climate

Robert McLachlan • Oct 15, 2019

• 1.5C,
• climate change,
• IPCC

An essay by Judith Collins MP reported on Carbon News yesterday seems to show an alarming shift in attitude within the National Party. Collins argues against the Zero Carbon Bill, the Paris Agreement, and downplays the magnitude of climate impacts. The Paris Agreement was adopted in December 2015 and ratified by the New Zealand Government, of which Judith … Read More

Fly less, Kiwis!

Robert McLachlan • Sep 05, 2019

• air travel,
• climate change,
• emissions

Something’s happening here: Climate crisis: ‘We don’t fly to go on holiday now – and it doesn’t cost the earth’ (The Guardian, 10 August 2019) No-fly zone: Could you give up flying if it meant protecting the planet? (Adventure.com, 21 August 2019) Travel the world without destroying it (The Conversation, 22 August 2019) Harry and Meghan … Read More

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Emission Impossible?

Steve Trewick • Aug 26, 2019

• climate change,
• emissions,
• fuel economy

Everyone knows about climate change and it’s a real drag. All of a sudden most of the things we liked doing are considered wrong. Some people even say we have to give up cars but that’s crazy talk isn’t it? With around 70 million new cars produced each year around the world and a total of about  1.4 … Read More

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New Zealand poised to introduce clean car standards and incentives to cut emissions

Robert McLachlan • Aug 01, 2019

• climate change,
• electric vehicles,
• feebate,
• fuel standards,
• greenhouse gas emissions,
• vehicles

The New Zealand government has proposed new fuel standards to cut greenhouse emissions, along with consumer rebates for cleaner cars – paid for by fees on high-polluting cars. The long-awaited proposed changes would bring New Zealand in line with most other developed countries; apart from New Zealand, Russia and Australia are the last remaining OECD nations without … Read More

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