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NZ's environmental reputation 'nosedive'

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NZ's climate reputation 'nosedive'

3News NZ

18th United Nations Convention on Climate Change in Doha (Reuters)

18th United Nations Convention on Climate Change in Doha (Reuters)

New Zealand is being accused of failing to deliver even minimum expectations at a United Nations climate conference in Qatar.

New Zealand failed to sign the extension to the Kyoto Protocol along with Japan, Poland, Canada and Russia.

World Wildlife Fund climate change campaigner, Peter Hardstaff, says the decision sends the wrong message.

"It is very difficult for all of us individuals to take action when the market signals are telling us it's cheaper to pollute and more expensive to do the right thing," says Mr Hardstaff.

He says we all need to play our part in cutting energy consumption, especially with cars and electricity.

"Other countries are looking at New Zealand in a very poor light. New Zealand's reputation has taken a nosedive at these climate change negotiations. We're now seen as a country blocking progress rather than helping to achieve it.

New Zealand instead opted for a non-binding agreement with the US, Brazil and China.

Mr Hardstaff says governments at the conference found it hard to agree on the amount of finance needed to help the poorest countries adapt to climate change.

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Comments

15/12/2012 7:36:54 a.m.

Mike wrote:

So if it was radiation not C02, and NZ was thought 20 was an okay radiation level, then 17.75x this would be okay for Germany? Now I wonder if Germans would like a radiation reading of 355? Thats not harmless, and yet your saying it is, and NZ's much lower figure is more of a pollution problem?

You an idiot Kathy. If a pollutant is to be measured, it needs to be measured in air quality etc, and that measure applied to the world. Not this NZ hit with a measure 17.75x harder for NZ being Clean/Green, while Germany being filth central so has the lowest target to hit.

I'm not excusing the americains or chinese, I'm just pointing a finger at a much worse problem of the EU like Germany. But then I'm not blinded by bigotry and am using 1 measure of c02 emissions per sq km for the whole world and applying it evenly, while you use a weak measure for polluters like Germany, tougher measures for China and USA, and then claim clean/green NZ is a problem and give us a measure 17.75x tougher than Germanys! Thats not fair, nor does it help the enviroment.

11/12/2012 9:22:18 a.m.

Kathy wrote:

The amount that gets spewed into the air is all that matters... not some drop kick brain dead formula that you are using to try and avoid the fact that China and America pour the most carbon into the atmosphere Mike. Still excusing the chinese and the americans Mike? what a stupid stance to take.

10/12/2012 6:36:12 p.m.

Mike wrote:

per sq km emissions from your same reference, using 2010 estimates:

Germany emissions per sq km 2.13 (762543/357021), ie 2.13 thousand tonnes per sqr km.

China emission per sq km 0.85 (8240958/9640821)

Now to anyone with an IQ as large as their shoe size, for air quality, Chinas emissions better than filthy Germany by 2.5x per sq km. Is China cities clean? Hardly, but on a whole country, they are 2.5 cleaner than Germany on carbon emissions per sq km from the source you quoted!

The filthy US you claim ... 0.56, ie Germany air quality 3.8x worse than US in carbon emissions per sq km.

Those figures not the full story as only part of the carbon emissions - read the note attached to them.

NZ emissions by the same measure from the same source 0.12 (33095 last figure showing / 268680 sqr km), ie 17.75x cleaner in carbon emissions per sq km than filthy Germany! But still we have people claiming Germany cleaner/greener than NZ!

So lets pick a figure of 1000 tonnes of C02 emmision per sqr km, and tax all countries above this @ $20 per tonne. Germany only needs to come up with 1130 tones per sq km, and they are a size of 357021 sq km ... so they only will need to cough up over $8 trillion PA in emission taxes to still be filthier than China! Incidently, this is more than their GDP could possibly afford! But the EU has no problem passing this filth cost onto the rest of the world like NZ.

These figures vary depending on the measure as some use the carbon weight, some the C02 weight etc, these ones being C02 weight. The figures I used earlier were using carbon weight which was lighter.

10/12/2012 3:22:06 p.m.

Kathy wrote:

Again Mike with the rubbish,there are a multitude of different measure you seem to have grasped hold of a silly one. If you go by pure amount chinas carbon emissions dwarf Germany's as does America and the countries you refuse to aknowledge as major polluters. On a tonnage per year basis China emitts accounts for nearly 24 percent of all emissions, America nearly 18 percent and the European Union, 15 percent. Those three countries/continents account for nearly 57 percent of all carbon emissions. And China and Americas departure from wanting to do anything about the problem is disturbing. http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_countries_by_carbon_dioxide_emissions

10/12/2012 2:22:36 p.m.

Mike wrote:

@Jonno? How is america responsible? Its the worst carbon polluters driving it, and they reside in the EU, and have close on 30 UN votes, plus climate change paid for science sponsoring their pollution protection to EU benefit.

The EU is economically bigger than the US, it has more people, is spread over less area, has much higher industrialisation and carbon pollution. The drivers of this policy are those benefiting from it the most, and the US have not adopted its measures as they have a lower emission per sq km than even NZ! Why is the US emissions so low? Well, for all its 300+ mil population, its got a very low population density.

The way to get USSR/USA/China to sign up to any carbon emmission scheme is to truely target the real polluters, those with the highest emmissions per sq km - like Germany/UK. this current protection of the polluters at everyone eleses expense make no sense except to EU puppets.

10/12/2012 11:34:36 a.m.

Jonno wrote:

Good!. "Climate change" as they call it, is the biggest hoax ever pulled on mankind . Its not caused by us . But i guess we all "feel good" if we support it. Its a natural phenomena and its being used as the 'vehicle" to drive the world into a one world govt by America. Its a pity people are falling for it because of ignorence and lack of some commen sense.sighning up to this protocol does not stop the production of pollution. It just means someone has to pay for their right to pollute. Duh!!. NZ is small,makes contributes allmost nil pollution, is broke, and we expected sighn up to highway robbery ?.

10/12/2012 11:09:19 a.m.

Mike wrote:

So according to these idiots, Germanys highest carbon emissions per sq km in the world is cleaner than NZ's much lower emmissions.

These idiots need to get their heads out the EU's backside and wake up to reality. The worse carbon pollution is the EU, and the current Kyoto Protocol doesn't help the enviroment but protects the worst polluters right to pollute at the expense of the rest of the world.

If Germany had to pay for carbon emissions per sq km above NZ levels, at say $20 a tonne, then then Germany would need to cough up 1.5 trillion PA in emission tax, with the UK not far behind around 1 trillion PA.

The EU is pollution central when it comes to carbon emissions. And these people are playing the EU line of protecting polluters.

10/12/2012 11:00:23 a.m.

Richard wrote:

Isn't Qatar the place that recently had a massive mall fire that killed people including NZers, and can't make those responsible attend the court hearings. Give me a break from this BS.