With emission schemes stalled from Washington to Canberra, David Broome asks if Federated Farmers could be set to ‘fight all ridiculous taxes’ in F.A.R.T 2.0.
 
It may be that New Zealand has just embarked on the most audacious branding exercise ever conceived.  Global in scope, the brand takes market forces, supercharges them with the power of righteousness and uses them to drive what to-all-intents-and-purposes, is a moral crusade. All going to plan, other nations will be powerless to resist the brand’s underlying logic with our goods sailing (but not flying) out the door to grateful buyers willing to pay a huge price premium. 
 
Or, just maybe, New Zealand has embarked on a lonely, delusional, badly-timed odyssey that will cost the country dearly – leaving the rest of the world shaking its collective head in amused bewilderment.  New Zealand, the land which swallowed its own propaganda.   It’s no wonder, some say, the Government receives congratulatory emails from overseas about its acronym rich Emissions Trading Scheme (ETS). 
 

Released 03 Jun 2010

Using the Minister of Agriculture & Forestry's own cost figures for the Emissions Trading Scheme (ETS), the national dairy herd will need to expand by 88,000 cows just to offset the $44.46 million ($3,900 per farm) in ETS costs from 1 July.

"Dairy farmers will need to increase intensification on-farm just in order to stand still under the ETS," says Don Nicolson, Federated Farmers President.

"Based on the current payout forecast, our calculations using the Minister's own figures, tells us that it will take the profit from an additional seven dairy cows per farm just to cover the ETS cost per farm.

"If you multiply that over 11,800 farms it adds up to a substantial expansion in the national herd over and above any natural growth.

The Dominion Post 3 June 2010

OPINION: Could it be that other countries are waiting to see how NZ's scheme pans out, asks Joe Fone.

'The madness of the Government's new carbon tax is that New Zealanders will be the only people in the world paying it," Nick Smith said in 2005.

"It will drive up the costs of living and undermine competitiveness of New Zealand business for negligible environmental gain."

Back then, Dr Smith was scathing of the Labour government's planned emissions tax but now, as minister for climate change issues, he argues the exact opposite. It is difficult to reconcile these contrary attitudes, especially given revelations of scientific malfeasance in the climate science community during the intervening five years that have thrown serious doubt on the whole idea of human-induced climate change.

The minister gets around this contradiction by arguing that the National Government's emissions trading scheme is not a tax at all but a strategy designed to change our behaviour. This argument is specious because it suggests that National's scheme would have some effect on climate while Labour's would not, due to a few technical differences. Hardly.

16.05.10

DO YOU HAVE NEW FACTS TO SUPPORT THE NEED FOR AN ETS?

On 10 May , 2005 , Hansard recorded the following STATEMENT BY YOU.
"On behalf of the National Party I give you the good news , that the climate change amendment bill is a load of rubbish and the National Party will not be supporting it for very good reasons  '.You also stated, "putting a self imposed straitjacket on our businesses and saying to foreign investment , don't come near us." "..this is a complete and utter hoax ."

I wonder if you would be good enough to share the facts that have caused you to change your mind on this important issue. Have you actually heard from anyone who has threatened to boycott New Zealand products if we do not impose this tax? I suspect not..so what has changed since 2005? I really am prepared to be convinced that the majority of New Zealanders are going to benefit by this scheme.

I challenge you to convince me.
 

We, the scientists and researchers in climate and related fields,
economists, policymakers, and business leaders, assembled at Times
Square, New York City, participating in the 2008 International
Conference on Climate Change,

Resolving that scientific questions should be evaluated solely by the
scientific method;

Affirming that global climate has always changed and always will,
independent of the actions of humans, and that carbon dioxide (CO2)
is not a pollutant but rather a necessity for all life;

Recognising that the causes and extent of recently-observed climatic
change are the subject of intense debates in the climate science
community and that oft-repeated assertions of a supposed 'consensus'
among climate experts are false;

Kiwi Party Press release 30 May 2010

Kiwi Party leader Larry Baldock will lead a peaceful demonstration to call for the deferral of the Emissions Trading Scheme (ETS) outside the National Party regional conference in Waitangi today.
Two weeks ago at a similar gathering in Hamilton, the National party delegates unanimously passed a remit that called for the delay of the ETS. A similar remit is believed to be on the agenda at the Northland regional conference.

"In fact," said Mr Baldock, "it would seem there is considerable opposition within the National membership to the crazy ETS going ahead, but democracy does not seem to be very healthy within the party.

examiner.com

By Brandon Lighton  24 May 2010