Planetary Ecology

Geyserland: Or, What happened at Taupō

Robert McLachlan • Jan 06, 2021

• ecology,
• environmental protection,
• geothermal energy,
• geysers,
• New Zealand,
• tourism

I don’t know Taupō well. Even though I stop off there from time to time, I’m always on the way to somewhere else. Usually Taupō means making a hot water puddle in the gritty sand followed by a swim in the lake, noticing with bemusement and resignation the traffic, the parasailing, and the hole-in-one game. Sometimes a random, generic motel. Read More

We (still) need to talk about cars

Robert McLachlan • Dec 16, 2020

• car industry,
• carbon emissions,
• Clean Car Standard,
• Fossil Fuels

To address climate change, we need to phase out the burning of fossil fuels. The largest share of fossil fuels is burnt in cars and trucks. So it seems clear that fossil-fuelled vehicles need to stop being designed, made, imported, and driven. But anyone who has visited a road or seen a car ad recently knows that that isn’t happening, … Read More

Climate emergency or not, New Zealand needs to start doing its fair share of climate action

Robert McLachlan • Dec 02, 2020

• climate change emergency,
• Climate Commission,
• emissions trading scheme,
• nationally determined contributions,
• Paris Agreement,
• zero carbon act

Following this week’s climate emergency declaration, New Zealand will have to face up to the fact it has one of the worst climate records of industrialised nations. Of 43 industrialised countries — known as Annex 1 countries — 31 are experiencing a drop in emissions. But 12 have seen net emissions increase between 1990 and 2018, and New … Read More

New Zealand weighs up a nation-sized battery

Guest Author • Oct 21, 2020

• climate change,
• election,
• energy,
• Environment,
• government,
• Lake Onslow,
• renewable electricity

Ian Mason and Robert McLachlan Climate change was a small but perceptible part of the recent election. On climate change, Labour pointed proudly to their record of legislating for net zero emissions by 2050 (nicknamed the ‘Zero Carbon Act’), establishing a Climate Change Commission to set carbon budgets and advise the government, and for strengthening the Emissions Trading Scheme by … Read More

New Zealand voters divided on climate

Guest Author • Oct 01, 2020

• climate change,
• election,
• Lake Onslow,
• Paris Agreement,
• politics

Robert McLachlan, Massey University New Zealanders are polarised on climate change policy, according to a recent Stuff/Massey University survey of 55,000 readers. This puts the two major political parties in a difficult position as they seek options that are credible yet appealing to voters. Just 30% of Labour voters and 22% of National voters think the country is “more … Read More

Flight to nowhere sends the wrong message in climate crisis

Robert McLachlan • Sep 25, 2020

• climate change,
• flights,
• quantas,
• tourism

Qantas Airlines’ 7-hour “flight to nowhere”, that sold out in 10 minutes with prices from A$787 to A$3787, seemed like a sick joke to climate advocates. Apart from the waste of fuel and the pointless emissions, passengers would be able to see first-hand, from a plane just like those that carried coronavirus around the world so effectively, the sweeping devastation … Read More

Climate Commission is cleared for takeoff: James Renwick talks ice, snow, and climate action

Robert McLachlan • Feb 10, 2020

• carbon budget,
• climate change,
• Climate Commission,
• Larsen B,
• Paris Agreement,
• school strikes

James Renwick is Professor of Physical Geography at Victoria University of Wellington. He studied at Canterbury and the University of Washington and has worked on diverse aspects of climate science, including global atmospheric circulation and Antarctic sea ice. In December 2019 he was appointed to the New Zealand Climate Change Commission, which will recommend carbon budgets and mitigation strategies to … Read More

A multitude of drops: Social tipping points in climate action

Robert McLachlan • Jan 24, 2020

• climate change,
• decarbonisation,
• planetary boundaries

If you’re here, you probably know that the climate crisis is upon us, that it’s getting steadily worse, and that attempts to address it haven’t worked yet. People are still driving and even advertising SUVs with impunity, and oil companies are exploring like crazy, even in New Zealand. Politically, socially, economically, it’s a challenging problem. In Social tipping dynamics … Read More

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

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