In the same week the Government unveiled its Emissions Reduction Plan, I faced a moral dilemma as I traded in my vehicle for a fresh set of wheels. Do I blithely bow to the climate zeitgeist and plump for a plug-in? Do I take a bet each way on a hybrid? Or do I go Read more
Whanganui District Council’s approach to climate change has helped the city win international recognition as a leading model for economic and social development – for the seventh time. Whanganui has again been named a Smart21 City by US-based think tank, the Intelligent Community Forum, and is the only New Zealand town or city to make Read more
As world leaders gathered in Glasgow, Scotland, I was depressed by the inability of nations to deal with the coming climate catastrophe. The fault is not entirely on the heads of world leaders. They are only responding to citizens who are more worried about today than tomorrow. People are not convinced of the need to Read more
Like other countries, New Zealand has both international and domestic targets to reduce emissions, but they run on different timelines and are based on different assumptions. This week, public submissions close on New Zealand’s first emissions reduction plan which proposes policies for staying within the emissions budget for 2022-25 and keeping on track for future Read more
As climate change rages along its disastrous path of increasing and more intense natural disasters – hurting the poor most of all – it now appears that a majority of people are finally beginning to admit climate change is for real – and that pollution from humans burning oil, gas and coal is the main Read more
More than 60 Catholic organizations have signed the following Statement on COP26 Draft Agreement by Laudato Si’ Movement. As Catholics, united for our common home, we urgently ask leaders at the United Nations 26th Climate Change Conference to follow Pope Francis’ leadership in reaching a prophetic final agreement. The science is clear: an extractive, unsustainable Read more
A university in the United States has, in an environmental research paper, shown how US Catholic bishops’ diocesan communications have “collectively snuffed out the spark of Laudato si’.” The research titled “US Catholic bishops’ silence and denialism on climate change” was authored by Sabrina Danielsen, Daniel R DiLeo and Emily E Burke from the Department Read more
Caritas says recent government announcements on climate response recognise the urgency of making deep far-reaching changes across all sectors of New Zealand society, and the need to provide climate finance for the poor; but do not go far enough in aiming to cut New Zealand’s emissions sooner. The New Zealand government recently put out a Read more
The New Zealand Government says it will quadruple overseas aid to help poorer countries deal with climate change. The allocation has been increased to $1.3 billion. The Government says the increase in overseas aid means that New Zealand will now be paying its fair share towards global climate funding. It is part of a global Read more
This weekend, Pope Francis published a series of tweets that linked environmental and social crises. This connection embodies the “integral ecology” that is a refrain of his 2015 encyclical “Laudato Si’.” The publication of “Laudato Si’” was a landmark moment in the fight against climate change. Secular environmentalists were encouraged to see such a prominent global Read more