bennett has head in the sand and the tide is coming in

Quite a good interview by Jack Tame with Paula Bennett the Climate Change Minister on Q & A this morning. He kept the hard questions going and she didn't like it very much - as shown by the forced smiles.

Will we ratify this year now that we have signed - Bennett says, "I could do it... but I haven't made up my mind"

No hurry, whatever, when I get round to it - is what she means I think. Funny she seemed so genuinely excited to be signing with all the Presidents and Heads of State - just a photo op then.

Tame raises the Morgan report

A new report by the Morgan Foundation, released today, says foreign carbon credits which New Zealand bought to reach its climate targets were fraudulent. 

It says that New Zealand was the world's biggest buyer of Russian and Ukrainian credits which did not represent any reduction in greenhouse gas emissions. 

That meant New Zealand, despite achieving its target on paper, had done little in reality to reduce global emissions. 

"We are, without doubt, cheats", the organisation's founder Gareth Morgan said. 

New Zealand's main tool for reducing atmosphere-warming emissions is the Emissions Trading Scheme (ETS).

Bennett says the report is "nothing new" and "half of it is kinda right and the rest is factually incorrect"

Tame - but we did continue trading in those credits for a long time when other countries had banned them" 

Bennett - yes...

and then onto excuses and what nots

but the Greens are not going to let it lie, thank goodness

Climate Minister Paula Bennett acknowledged this morning on TVNZ’s Q&A that the National Government had knowingly allowed business to buy carbon credits in the Ukraine and Russia that did not result in actual cuts in emissions, the Green Party said today. 

This acknowledgement comes in the wake of a report by the Morgan Foundation which showed these false cuts in pollution equated to a quarter of the emissions the Government claimed to have reduced between 2008 and 2012. 

“Minister Bennett cannot just say we should all just move on,” said Green Party Co-leader James Shaw. 

"If the Minister cancels New Zealand's fraudulent units, a move she says she is considering, she would have the Green Party's full support. The Greens have been calling attention to these dodgy credits for several years and last week called upon the Minister to cancel them.

 just read that line again

false cuts in pollution equated to a quarter of the emissions the Government claimed to have reduced between 2008 and 2012.

shocking so, so shocking

Tame - it wasn't in the spirit of the talks 

Bennett - it was in the rules okay...

Bennett uses many of the old key tricks in this interview - redirection, "Well I think the question is.. " when she doesn't want to answer the actual question given. "Focus on the future not the past" when she doesn't like the question or "What I would say is..." as an alternative and then into, "Keep it in perspective" to downplay it all. Pretty typical politicalspeak and she does it as well as only the truly committed can.

Apparently bennett has "other countries asking to learn both from what you did well and the mistakes you made" Pity Tame didn't ask which countries because all the telltale fib-markers were out when she was saying that and I really think she made it up.

She did speak the truth when she said she is "not sure" if our target is more within the range of a 3 - 4 degree Celsius rise in temperature. This minister is underdone and not up to debating even what the hell she has signed imo. Tame asks, "Do you accept that a global temperature rise of 3 -4 degree could potentially be catastrophic? Bennett - "yes, absolutely". And then we get the platitudes of "playing our part" "Hugely significant changes" - eh what? Tame asks, "What significant changes?" Bennett - "...a range of things and not one answer". Even Tame is getting over it at this point.

Tame - what does this government value more agriculture (which makes up 33% of our emissions) or climate change? 

Bennett - we're just not going to pick one. 

Tame - why not?

Bennett - cos we don't have to

and that is all she wrote. The rest is bullshit and dopey "I think" stuff from bennett - this minister is just not up to it and she represents this government well - they should all just resign.

Do not rely on the government to help - start now before it is too late, build community, build resilience, build networks and connections, reduce everything - do it now.