Category Archives: Uncategorised

Wise Response has made a detailed submission to New Zealand’s Productivity Commission detailing the dangers of growth.

The submission is reported here at Carbon News.

It is available as a PDF here: Wise Response Productivity Comission Submission 2017.

The campaign to fund the edit of a TV version of THIN ICE – the inside story of climate science” for airing on US Public Television this summer has now reached 70% of its target, with a deadline of noon, Monday, 24 November. The team is delighted with the support the project has received so far. They want to remind those still wanting to help others appreciate the integrity and commitment of climate scientists, as well as their message,  that there are only a few more days left to donate. You can help by donating  as little as $10, get a THIN ICE beanie for $70, or give your local school a one year licence for unlimited streaming for $225. Check it out here.

This project will also broaden the appeal of  THIN ICE for schools, community groups and for TV in other countries.”

In order to have the Thin Ice Documentary aired on US Public Television it needs funding to be edited. You can help by donating a little on the kickstarter funding site.

This will also make it more accessible for schools, community groups and for tv in other countries.

At this stage we need numbers of donors more than $$, so this is a pitch for you to check our Kickstarter site. Hopefully it will move you sufficiently to chip in $10! More is of course acceptable, but currently we would be delighted just to have you join us in this effort, and of course the support of any friends you might spread the word to on Twitter or Facebook.

Press release for immediate use:

The Wise Response Society Applauds New Zealand-wide Risk Assessment Proposed by some Political Parties

The Wise Response Society is heartened to see that Labour’ just released Climate Change policy includes formal support for the Society’s call for a New Zealand-wide Risk Assessment.The Green Party has also formally acknowledged support for the Wise Response Appeal as a key similarity between Green and Labour climate change policies.

Labour’s policy says that it “will implement a comprehensive risk assessment framework to predict and quantify the risk levels across our economy, environment and society, in order to inform policy decisions which can allow us to avert, mitigate against, or adapt to, these risks”.

Wise Response petitioned Parliament in April this year to assess the risks posed to the country in five key subject areas. These risks included the implications of continuing use of carbon-based fuels and their impacts, particularly on climate change; exposure to another financial crash and its implications for business continuity and employment; environmental/ecological degradation; and the risks to increasing inequality and social wellbeing of endlessly chasing GDP as the primary measure of progress. The group is supported by more than 100 notable New Zealanders.

Spokesperson, Sir Alan Mark said they had invited all political parties to support their appeal, seeking a “cross-party” response, and  while Labour, Greens and NZ First supported the petition to Parliament, it is extremely gratifying and hopeful when the request is formally adopted by a party in its policy.

Even though the Society’s concerns are with the sustainable management of resources generally,Wise Response considers Labour’s proposal to set up an independent Climate Commission might provide the vehicle needed for a wide-ranging risk assessment programme for New Zealand’s future.

Alan F. Mark, FRSNZ, KNZM. Spokesperson for Wise Response Society Inc.

To become a more effective force for change and assist with fund raising etc we have decided to adopt a more formal structure and we are now in the process of incorporating Wise Response.

The rules state:
The purpose of the Society is to persuade the New Zealand Parliament, Government and New Zealand society in general to confront and respond effectively to any confirmed threats arising from the question “As demand for growth exceeds earth’s physical limits causing unprecedented risks, what knowledge and changes do we need to secure New Zealand’s future wellbeing?

There is no membership fee.

To become a member of Wise Response Society Inc and help the new organisation achieve its purpose please fill in the form below:

Join Wise Response Incorporated Society

* Your Name:

* Your Email

Author and Wise Response committee member Philip Temple is about to publish a book exploring a future left unchecked. Anyone wishing to order a copy or copies, at the recommended retail price of $35, before 18 July, will receive signed copies at their postal address when they become available in early August. The price includes GST, packing and postage and a donation of $10 to Wise Response. Purchasers should contact Philip directly at strongbeak@xtra.co.nz with their postal address and for a bank account number for payment. This offer will be available until 18 July.

An hour ago, I received on the steps of Parliament this petition. I undertook to bring it immediately to the attention of the House. The Clerk has tabled the petition today. It is fair to say that this is perhaps the most important petition ever to be delivered to Parliament. It is called “The Appeal to Parliament for a New Zealand Risk Assessment”. It calls for the 50^th Parliament to commit to an all-party risk assessment of how and where New Zealand might be exposed to key global threats. No single undertaking could be more important. The petition comes just 2 days after the fifth report of the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change on the assessed impacts of climate change for the world in the 21^st century.

As the petition puts it, we live on a biologically complex and exquisite planet, home to 7 billion people and a myriad of other unique life forms. We believe, say the petitioners, that it is our human responsibility to maintain the integrity of life support systems and the natural processes that sustain and renew them. It follows, they contend, that our generation must satisfy our present material needs in ways that do not diminish the prospect of their realisation for future generations. The petitioners express a concern. So far, they say, New Zealand has failed to truly face up to such unprecedented threats to its collective security. Yet with scientists saying that certain critical thresholds are upon us, the consequences of not taking the proper action will, in all probability, be disastrous and irreversible. “Therefore,” they say, “in the name of all our children and grandchildren we, the undersigned, call on the New Zealand Parliament to face up to this situation now… We believe that Parliament should build on its proud tradition of foresighted collective response to risks, and initiate a risk assessment as the first step in achieving a more secure future.”

This petition is signed by some 6,000 New Zealanders, with a leadership group of 100 signatories. They include a former Prime Minister and past MPs; the mayor of a major city; leading Māori; a number of former All Blacks and Black Caps; a university pro-vice-chancellor and other prominent academics; a former Parliamentary Commissioner for the Environment; a poet laureate; some of the country’s leading artists, authors and broadcasters; and several leading scientists who serve on the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change itself. I choose to cite one name, Sir Lloyd Geering, professor of religious studies at Victoria University. I cite him because, at age 96, Professor Geering is a member of the Order of New Zealand, the highest honour this country can bestow. This is no ordinary petition. It is no disparagement of any others brought to this House to recognise that this petition is of unprecedented magnitude and import. It essentially appeals to Parliament to consider the future of the planet and our nation, and it does so in light of the enormity of what lies before us.

This House is the arena for party rivalry and the contestation of ideas. We devote our time to critiquing each other and competing for electoral support. It is pluralistic democracy and that is fine, but there are issues that transcend domestic political competition—above all, the fate of the planet. There is no other phrase that can do it justice. It requires that we lower our swords and come together to reason our way through. There is something primordial occurring here and we need to be up to the task. We need to be up to the task, for future generations, not only our own, depend on the decisions we make in this House now and in the critical next few years. I advance this admonition to myself as much as to colleagues opposite. I have on occasion been critical—trenchantly so—of Government policy, but I have also held conferences in the neighbouring Chamber designed to enable us to come together in a different setting and spirit and reason our way to a cross-party consensus. May this appeal assist us in that endeavour. May it be favourably received.

Mo tātou, a mo ka uri, a muri ake nei

Green Party: Kennedy Graham’s speech on Climate Change

Jimmy Green (Green Wig) from Generation Zero supports the Wise Response Appeal presentation on paliament steps.

The Appeal was presented on the steps of parliament, April 9th with support from Generation Zero.

Please note we will continue to collect signatures and support from organisations with a view to submitting them to the Select Committee.

Economist Geoff Bertram gave the following address:

My name is Geoff Bertram.  I’m an academic economist and much of my work focuses on the role of markets as instruments of human wellbeing. But wisdom in policy-making lies in acknowledging and understanding the limits of markets.

Those limits come in at least two forms:

• There are things the market fails to do in the absence of policy intervention: pricing carbon, for example, or giving due weight to the interests of the poor and dispossessed.
• There are things that money can’t buy, involving human values that often have to be protected from the encroachment of market values

Future generations are not well represented in today’s markets, but their interests deserve acknowledgment and respect from today’s policymakers. The precautionary principle is important here: do not do irreparable damage to the natural systems on which humanity depends.

Thorough and open-minded risk assessment is inherently part of the precautionary principle.
So I encourage all political parties to take this appeal seriously.

Bryan Gould, (Former Vice-chancellor and Chair Research Science and Technology, Hamilton). supported the presentation:

“Conventional thinking has for far too long seen the sustainability of our environment as a side issue – at best, as a mere adjunct to, and at worst, as an annoying distraction from, the real business of running an economy. We need to change that mindset. There can be and will be no economy, and no business, if we fail to take the long view – if we fail to act now to ensure that our environment is sustained into the future.”

 Professor Bob Lloyd gave the following address:

“My name is Bob Lloyd and I teach energy studies at the University of Otago.

Honourable Members. As parliamentarians you have been elected to govern New Zealand.
This duty is often interpreted as meaning that you should facilitate the growth of the New Zealand economy for the betterment of its people.
Unfortunately at this point in time we are at a unique point in the history of civilisation.
According to my research we have two significant problems, first our use of fossil fuels is reaching the limit of what the earth can supply.
Second the carbon dioxide produced is reaching the limit of what the atmosphere can safely absorb and is causing the earth’s climate to change.
Despite approaching fossil fuel limits there are, however, sufficient reserves remaining to cause major climate effects, as documented by the latest IPCC reports.
It is apparent that growing our economy using fossil fuels, is going to cause unprecedented risks for the continuation of society, both in NZ and elsewhere.
At present rates of growth of fossil fuel use we will have a one in three chance of exceeding the 2 degree temperature limit, agreed at Copenhagen, by 2030 or around 15 years from now.
I believe that this parliament must show leadership before we cross tipping points that will make further action pointless.
It is clear that an urgent transition must be made to a fossil fuel free economy.”

Gerry Te Kapa Coates MNZM

“Kia ora koutou, e hoa ma.

When I started Engineers for Social Responsibility in 1983 the major threat to humanity was nuclear war. Now 30 years later the major threat is human-induced climate change, or global warming.

Did we do anything about the threat of nuclear war? Yes, global leaders took action by making deep cuts to the number of nuclear armed missiles, and other major political steps. The threat is still there but it is much reduced.

What are we doing about climate change? What is New Zealand doing about it, and what are global leaders doing about it? Very little. The average person still thinks that engineers and scientists can solve the problem, and it will go away. The tools to do that are already around. Renewable energy based mainly on solar energy could be a reality if there was a political and economic will to do it. We, the people need to asks the Government for a Wise response to reports such as the IPCC issued two weeks ago. Governments will act if we, the people, demand it.”

The Green Party, Labour and United Future indicated support for the Appeal:

Green Party: Greens support high profile Kiwis’ call for climate action

Labour Party: Wise heads want wise response

United Future: ‘UnitedFuture is broadly supportive of the direction of your Appeal and petition to Parliament, and will be willing to work with other parties to further the issues you have expressed concern about.’ Hon Peter Dunne