Madrid Climate Talks: Decade Ending 2019 Likely To Be Hottest On Record
Exceptional global heat driven by greenhouse gas emissions mean this decade will most likely go down as the warmest on record, according to the World Meteorological Organization...
The agency also finds that 2019 is on track to be the second or third warmest year in history, with the global average temperature during January through October, roughly 1.1 degrees Celsius above the pre-industrial era.
“If we do not take urgent climate action now, then we are heading for a temperature increase of more than 3°C by the end of the century, with ever more harmful impacts on human wellbeing.” More>>
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- NIWA - Hottest November on record: NIWA climate scientists
- RNZ - Government funds to continue investing in fossil fuels - COP 25: Pacific nations demand greater commitments - Leaders urged not to COP out of climate action in Madrid - Bridges condemns climate protest vandalism at his office
- NZ Govt - Climate change lens on major Government decisions
- UN - Green economy not to be feared - Sustainable Development Goals - Is the world ready to end the coal era? - COP25 Launchpad for Significantly more Climate Ambition
- WWF - State of the Environment Report 2020
- Oxfam NZ - NZ undercutting the Pacific on key climate issue
- NZ Energy and Environment Business Week - Govt sets mandate for climate change negotiations
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- The Conversation - Climate explained: how climate change will affect food - How plant-based meat stretches cultural & legal boundaries
- Carbon Market Watch - Markets must increase climate action, not undermine it
- Greenpeace - Fiji among 10 nations most impacted by climate crisis - Greenpeace installs oil museum at OMV - Protestors to OMV: It’s not over
- NZ Psychological Society - NZ psychologists join world pledge to stem climate change
- Callaghan Innovation - Environmental innovators urged to take on C-Prize challenge
- The Wise Response Society - Recent Climate Reports Underscore Genuine Emergency
- Citizens Environmental Advocacy Centre - UN Climate report- record emissions’ - Govt' must use rail - PM must attend COPS 25 Climate Change Conference.
NZ First Conflicts Of Interest: New Details Around Timeline
New information has emerged showing it was the New Zealand First chief of staff who identified potential conflicts of interest between a forestry company and two senior government ministers, sparking a series of declarations. More>>
Earlier:
- RNZ - Jones Declared Conflict of Interest Same Day Questions Asked
- NZ Taxpayers' Union - Shane Jones conflict of interest disclosure came too late
Donations:
- National - Labour covering NZ First’s shady dealings
Five New Cancer Meds In Six Months: Pharmac Funds More Cancer Medicines, Faster Assessment
PHARMAC has confirmed that two new medicines – olaparib for ovarian cancer and fulvestrant for breast cancer – have been approved for funding... Rituximab and bortezomib, which are already funded, have also been approved for widened access following successful commercial proposals from new suppliers. More>>
ALSO:
- NZ Govt - More cancer medicines for more people
- Breast Cancer Aotearoa Coalition - Breast cancer patients welcome PHARMAC news
Gordon Campbell: On Stoking Fears About Cannabis Law Reform
It was always going to be hard to have a rational debate on cannabis reform. Far easier for politicians to win votes by stoking alarm... More>>
ALSO:
- RNZ - Green's Swarbrick says cannabis prohibition has failed
- Science Media Centre - Draft cannabis legislation – Expert Reaction
- NZ Govt - Referendums website and initial cannabis Bill launched - Referendums Framework Bill passes third reading
- Out-Link - referendum.govt.nz
- Greens - Draft bill will ensure informed referendum debate
- NZ Drug Foundation - Cannabis Control Bill ticks the boxes
- Helen Clark Foundation - HCF reiterates support for yes vote in Cannabis Referendum
- NORML - Cannabis referendum draft law welcomed
- Whakamana - Cannabis referendum: Legal edibles, age restrictions
- Peter Dunne - Dunne Speaks: Cannabis Leguislation A Mixed Bag So Far
- Out-Link - The Cannabis Legalisation and Control Bill: pretty good so far • Public Address
Tūhoronuku Mandate Recognition Ends: "New Opportunity" For Ngāpuhi Treaty Negotiations
The Crown is providing an opportunity for the hapu of Ngāpuhi to rebuild its framework from the ground up for collective negotiations to deal with its historical Treaty claims... More>>
ALSO:
- November Out-Link - An insider’s guide to the Ngāpuhi settlement | The Spinoff
Pike River: Next Phase Of Recovery Underway
“Fresh air will be pumped into the Pike River Mine drift this week, following acceptance of the plan for re-entry beyond the 170m barrier by New Zealand’s independent health and safety regulator WorkSafe." More>>
ALSO:
- WorkSafe NZ - Pike River mine – regulatory exemption granted by WorkSafe
- Image via 2018 RNZ - Pike River Mine re-entry: How it will happen
Peters Stoic: Russia On Afghan Firing Range Deaths
The foreign minister won't be calling in the Russian ambassador concerning comments made about New Zealand soldiers in Afghanistan. In a media briefing late last month, Russian Foreign Ministry spokesperson Maria Zakharova said New Zealand must investigate crimes against civilians. More>>
ALSO:
- Gordon Campbell - Gordon Campbell on stoking fears about cannabis law reform
- National - Russia remains Peters’ blind spot
Christchurch Call: Online Crisis Response Workshop In Wellington
Governments and tech companies are holding a two-day workshop, hosted by YouTube/Google in Wellington, to test the Christchurch Call Shared Crisis Response Protocol. More>>
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Fuels Rushing In: Govt "Ready To Act" On Petrol Market Report
The Government will now take the Commerce Commission’s recommendations to Cabinet...
• A more transparent wholesale pricing regime • Greater contractual freedoms and fairer terms • Introducing an enforceable industry code of conduct • Improve transparency of premium grade fuel pricing... More>>
ALSO:
- Commerce Commission - Study recommends changes to benefit competion
- BusinessNZ - Process concerns in market study
- Motor Trade Association - “At last!” says MTA in response to fuel market findings
Reserve Bank Capital Review Decision: Increased Bank Capital Requirements
Governor Adrian Orr said the decisions to increase capital requirements are about making the banking system safer for all New Zealanders, and will ensure bank owners have a meaningful stake in their businesses. More>>
ALSO:
- National - Reserve Bank decision will further slow economy
- NZ Bankers' Association - Banking industry welcomes conclusion to RBNZ capital review
- The NZ Initiative - RBNZ's flawed bank capital process should be suspended
- BusinessNZ - Further consultation essential on bank capital proposals
Aerospace: Christchurch Plan To Be NZ's Testbed
Christchurch aims to be at the centre of New Zealand’s burgeoning aerospace sector by 2025, according to the city’s aerospace strategic plan. More>>
ALSO:
- SpaceBase - Taking full advantage of space
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EPA: Spill Sees Abatement Notice Served For Tamarind Taranaki
The notice was issued after a “sheen” on the sea surface was reported to regulators on Thursday 21 November, approximately 400 metres from the FPSO Umuroa. A survey commissioned by Tamarind has subsequently detected damage to the flowline connecting the Umuroa to the Tui 2H well. More>>
Taskforce Report: Changes Recommended For Winter Grazing
A Taskforce has made 11 recommendations to improve animal welfare in intensive winter grazing farm systems, the Minister of Agriculture Damien O’Connor confirmed today. More>>
ALSO:
- NZ First - NZ First Welcomes Commitment to Improving Animal Welfare
- Image via RNZ - Winter cropping practices 'unacceptable' - govt
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- Chorus advisory | Weather impact 3:58 PM | Chorus
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- Leaked ANZ policy good news for climate action 06/12/19 | 350 Aotearoa
- Five workers’ rights to know about Xmas time 06/12/19 | Employment NZ
- Sean Connolly leaves long-lasting legacy at SkyCity Auckland 06/12/19 | SKYCITY Auckland
Analysis: Dotcom Appeal For Surveillance Data Dismissed
Kim Dotcom’s Appeal against the decision allowing the GSCB to withold information as to communications illegally intercepted by them has been dismissed by the Court of Appeal of New Zealand. More>>
ALSO:
- NZ Court of Appeal - Appeal Decision: Kim Dotcom v AG (GSCB)
- Binoy Kampmark - Legitimised Surveillance: Kim Dotcom’s case against GCSB
Gordon Campbell: On China’s Bad Week
Even before the local body election results came in from Hong Kong, China had been having a p.r. nightmare this week. First, the ICIJ released a trove of leaked cables about the mass concentration camp system that China has built to control and to “re-educate” over a million people from its Uighur minority... More>>
Julie Webb-Pullman: Jacinda, THAT Tweet, And Gaza
The MFAT tweet condemning rocket fire from Gaza while failing to condemn the Israeli extrajudicial assassinations and civilian killings that generated Islamic Jihad’s rocket-fire in defensive response, reveals the hypocrisy at the heart of New Zealand’s so-called “even-handed” foreign policy and practice towards Palestine. More>>
Hope For Nature: A New Deal For The Commons
Joseph Cederwall on The Dig: To fully understand the biodiversity crisis and explore what comes next, it is necessary to address this mind-virus at the heart of our modern civilisation – the dominion worldview. More>>
ALSO:
- HiveMind - Biodiversity HiveMind: Final Report
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- TOP SCOOPS
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- Animal rights and the torturous suffocation of chickens 07/12/19 | Lynley Tulloch
- Taskforce feeding: Call it what you want, it doesn’t work. 05/12/19 | Richard Major
- Claims of gynaecology patients' consent breaches 05/12/19 | RNZ
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Gordon Campbell: On The Recent Upheavals Inside Iran
In the fortnight since the Internet got switched back on in Iran, the ferocity of the crackdown on the recent demonstrations has become evident. Reportedly, hundreds of people have been killed, thousands wounded and thousands more have been arrested. More>>
ALSO:
- Image November - Iranians of NZ became the voice of the protesters in Iran
UN Emissions Report: World On Course For Climate Spike
Even if countries meet commitments made under the 2015 Paris Agreement, the world is heading for a 3.2 degrees Celsius global temperature rise over pre-industrial levels… More>>
ALSO:
- UN - Climate change: Another year of record gas emissions
- GNS Science - As emissions rise, carbon fingerprint points to fossil fuels
- Recreation Aotearoa - Climate Emergency could be the best thing in our lifetime
- The Conversation - Climate explained: how much does flying contribute? - Climate explained: why coastal floods are more frequent
- Greenpeace NZ - Police move in to end Greenpeace oil ship occupation
Pacific: Tongan PM 'Akilisi Pohiva Dies, Aged 78
A constant thorn in the side of the monarchy and nobility, Mr Pohiva's lifelong battle for representation had seen him fired from the public service and charged with sedition... More>>
ALSO:
Untied Kingdom: UK PM Moves To Suspend Parliament In Weeks Before Brexit
The Prime Minister has briefed Cabinet colleagues that the government will bring forward an ambitious new legislative programme for MPs’ approval, and that the current parliamentary session will be brought to an end. More>>
ALSO:
- UK Labour Party - Jeremy Corbyn responds to plans to suspend Parliament
- Out-Link - Brexit | The Guardian
Gordon Campbell: On The Hong Kong Protest Movement
The pro-democracy protests enjoy huge support among Hong Kong’s youth, partly because the democratic systems currently at risk have only a limited time span. More>>
ALSO:
- Image Out-Link - Studio Incendo / Wikimedia commons
LATEST HEADLINES
- WORLD
- UN warns violence risks placing Iraq on dangerous trajectory 3:19 PM | United Nations
- APEC Host Economy Leader's Statement 11:54 AM | APEC
- Forced Conversion that Violates Human Rights 11:53 AM | HWPL
- COP25: Health sector denounces lack of funds 11:52 AM | Global Climate and Health Alliance
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- Brazil ‘milestone’ decision over Venezuelan refugees 07/12/19 | United Nations
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Howard Davis: Three Stocking Stuffers from Te Papa Press
Te Papa has published three wonderfully informative and beautifully produced volumes that describe the people and cultures encountered during Cook's voyages and the Māori cultural treasures he discovered there. More>>
40 Years On: Prime Minister Delivers Erebus Apology
"That loss, in and of itself, was huge. It sent ripples across the country, and trauma that those who weren’t directly affected would probably struggle to fathom. But that loss and grief was compounded. It was undeniably worsened by the events that followed." More>>
ALSO:
- RNZ - Private ceremony marks Erebus 40 years on
- ACT - Seymour commends PM on Erebus apology
- NZALPA - Speech by NZ Airline Association President on Mt Erebus
- Erebus National Memorial - Erebus Civic Service for 40th anniverary
- NZ Police - Mt Erebus disaster: The Police story - Police Museum
The Testaments: Margaret Atwood Announces Three NZ Events
The evening will also feature Atwood’s remarkable career, her diverse range of works and why she has returned to the fictional world of Gilead 34 years later. More>>
Transit Of Mercury: Historic Viewing Recreated
Keen stargazers gathered at Te Whanganui o Hei on the Coromandel Peninsula to watch a rare astronomic event this morning. More>>
Forest And Bird: Hoiho Crowned Bird Of The Year For 2019
Widely considered an underdog, the valiant hoiho (yellow-eyed penguin) has won Bird of the Year, a first for seabirds in the competition's 14-year history. More>>
ALSO:
- NZ Govt - Hoiho get extra support Michaël Catanzariti
- University of Canterbury - Without Paris Accord, emperor penguins are in dire straits
- Todd Henry On The Dig - Wāhine Hōiho Photo Essay
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- Three Stocking Stuffers from Te Papa Press 07/12/19 | Howard Davis
