The commission’s suggestion to restrict new natural gas connections in 2025 caught some by surprise, with users of social media platform Twitter wondering if it meant giving up infinity hot water (although electric-powered systems exist). John Carnegie, chief executive of the Petroleum Exploration and Production Association, sympathised. He’s opposed to a ban on connections, though, according to the commission’s analysis, it would protect new customers from choosing gas only to have bills skyrocket as the carbon price rises. “It is about being an informed consumer.” All in all, the commission’s approach was “thoughtful and nuanced”, he added. He agreed with the commission that natural gas will be needed as a back-up fuel to generate electricity.
Sunday, 31 January 2021, 6:45 pm
EDS has congratulated the Climate Commission on the
release of its Advice Report and first budgets and for
setting out the direction of travel for our economy to meet
the climate change challenge we face as a nation and
globally.
“The Commission’s report is a truly
historic turning point for Aotearoa New Zealand: we are
shifting from talking about climate change to beginning the
planned journey to a net zero economy,” said EDS CEO Gary
Taylor.
“This will affect every aspect of our lives
through to 2050 and beyond as we progressively reduce
dependence on fossil fuels and lower methane emissions to
Bejon Haswell/Stuff
The Pūkaki Downs fire in August cost nearly $800,000 to fight, according to South Canterbury principal rural fire officer Rob Hands. (File photo)
Climate change has been sidelined by the Mackenzie District Council for another three years due to a lack of resources. Council chief executive Suzette van Aswegen said climate change, and measures to tackle it, will not be included in council’s Long Term Plan, despite three major wildfires devastating the Mackenzie Basin over the past 12 months. One of which, the Lake Ōhau wildfire, destroyed 48 buildings and cost $34.8 million in insurance payouts. “To be honest I would love to do innovative things and be entrepreneurial . but the fact that we still have building blocks to make a good solid organisation, [means] it’s probably not in the next lifetime of this next long term plan for the next three years.
LINZ
Simons Pass Station will need to apply for a discretionary activity consent to carry out direct drilling and irrigation.
A farm owner in the Mackenzie District will no longer fight an Environment Court ruling upheld in a High Court decision which environmental advocates say could mark the end of dairy expansions in the basin. In the High Court decision released last week, Justice Robert Osborne upheld the Environment Court’s ruling that the Mackenzie District Council had full discretion to reject or grant a consent application filed by the owner of Simons Pass Station to undertake irrigation and direct drilling for agricultural conversion.
“Everything was looking good in January, like we were going to have a good 2020 and go through with plain sailing but come late January, early February, things turned to custard, and it turned to custard in a big way,’’ he said. A state of emergency had been declared in Fiordland after one metre of rain fell in 60 hours in Milford Sound, trapping tourists, when the Mataura River began rising in Gore. “To have the biggest by volume flood that we’ve ever seen in recorded history was a surprise to all of us I have to say. ’ Nearly 30 homes in Gore, Mataura, Pukerau and rural areas had water above the floor line, and 18 businesses were affected.