Commenting on advice he received, Shaw says the current target is too weak to match the Government's commitment to helping save the world and keep the world's heating within 1.5 degrees celsius.

Shaw says conclusive advice from the independent Climate Change Commission will not hit his desk until February, however he is expecting to be told we need to do better.

Shaw says the independent Commission's advice is not binding on the Government but that he is "absolutely committed" to following their advice.

"If there's anything Covid taught us, it's to follow the advice of the scientists. That's why we pay them in the first place."

Shaw said that with the election of Joe Biden, China, the EU and now the USA would soon have net zero emissions targets for greenhouse gases and their net-zero goals for all gasses are more ambitious than New Zealand's' 2050 target which allows emission of methane primarily from agricultural emissions.

Shaw described Chinese President Xi Jinping's commitment to getting China's carbon dioxide emission to net-zero by 2060 as "massive".

As part of New Zealand doing better Shaw says the independent Climate Change Commission will suggest a firmer 2050 target for methane.

The Zero Carbon Act allows for a wide range of methane cuts by 2050 - anywhere between 24 and 47 percent.

New Zealand makes three major greenhouse gases: methane, nitrous oxide and carbon dioxide.

The Government's Paris pledge bundles them as a single target, however, the independent Commission may also recommend unbundling methane from other gasses.

Unbundling the gasses could take the pressure of methane emissions, placing more New Zealand emphasis carbon dioxide and nitrous oxide; however, Stuff reports the split target might be a tough sell to our international trading partners who have all-gas targets.

Greenpeace's Russell Norman remains critical of New Zealand's efforts.

Norman says New Zealand was on trance to cut gross emissions by just 7% by 2030, which is much less than required to keep the world inside its safety zone.

He is calling on the Government to give the independent Climate Change Commission Reserve Bank-like powers to set binding carbon budgets similar to the power has over the official cash rate.

"Surely climate change is at least as important as inflation," said Norman.

Source

• Stuff

According to a Greenpeace Energydesk investigation, Vatican Bank board member Sir Michael Hintze is the chief executive of the private hedge fund CQS Cayman, registered on the Cayman islands.

The fund holds stocks worth $8.3 million in energy companies.

It is noted that Hintze previously maintained ties with energy sector-related companies.

Jean-Baptiste Douville de Franssu, the Vatican Bank board president, is an adviser to two funds that hold multimillion dollar shares in oil and gas companies, according to the investigation.

"One fund, Carmignac Gestion, holds stocks worth $675.2m in American company Anadarko Petroleum.

The firm was forced to pay $5.1 billion to settle a case around environmental damage caused by one its subsidiaries in 2014. Carmignac Gestion also holds stocks in Shell and Exxon," Greenpeace said.

The Australian-born hedge fund manager is also a trustee of the right-wing think-tank of the Institute of Economic Affairs, which has a history of backing climate sceptic research.

Hintz is reportedly a major financial backer of Nigel Lawson's controversial climate skeptic pressure group the Global Warming Policy Foundation (GWPF), Energydesk says.

In 2012, the Guardian obtained emails showing Hintze backing the foundation.

Hintze failed to respond to requests from Energydesk to clarify his relationship with GWPF and to discuss CQS's holdings in the energy sector.

Pope Francis warned in the encyclical that climate change threatens the environment as well as humanity.

He called for an urgent reduction in global carbon and encouraged the use of renewable energy sources. Fossil fuel is known to increase carbon emissions.

At the same time, financial power struggles inside the Vatican are ongoing, with Cardinal Pell facing tough opposition to his proposed financial reforms.

Source

• Global Pulse
• Inside the Vatican
• Catholic News Agency
• The Guardian
• Image: Pixabay

The Charities Registration Board had sought to deregister Family First as a charity, in the wake of the recent same-sex marriage debate.

Family First appealed to the High Court, but a hearing has been on hold until a decision on the Greenpeace case.

Family First NZ director Bob McCoskrie said part of the problem has been the subjective interpretation of the definition of a charity.

"But many groups involved in public issues will have a political involvement when politicians are changing laws and introducing policy that affects the supporters and focus of the charity concerned.

"It is right that charities should be able to speak in to the debates."

Family First has instructed their lawyers to immediately apply to the Charities Board to drop the deregistration action against Family First NZ, or to bring the hearing forward so the matter can be resolved immediately.

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