A NZ Royal Commission on Climate Change?
urged by the 'Climate Coalition' here.
I'm suspicious that a bunch of industry workers and scientists feels the need to go to an arbitration situation, isn't that what scienific debate is for? (but then, the climate change sceptics aren't doing so well against other, real, scientists).
If however, this is a debate that needs to be had so that NZ can feel comfortable with it's policies and direction on an issue with global scope... then so be it.
I think a full on debate, among professionals, and condensed into policy advice is a darn good idea. Let's not limit it to NZ's community however, let's invite as many world-class advisors as we can lay our hands on. I think the bioengineering RC we had a few years ago came to an emminently sensible conclusion and (apart from concerns raised by the nutters at the NZ Bioethics forum/commune thingy) heard all points of view equally and came up with a very sensible reccomendation for the next 5 years.
The fact that 5 years later we hadn't actually done anything is hardly the RC's fault but the risk is real that this will turn into a talk-fest, a quick kick for touch for political reasons and then ignored until the 'wait and see' period ends and then... we're right back where we started. Thinking about it, if the govt had a credible set of policies for climate, energy and conservation, maybe we wouldn't need to have the debate...
hmmm, yet another symptom of the lack of leadership at NZ Inc. ?
I'm suspicious that a bunch of industry workers and scientists feels the need to go to an arbitration situation, isn't that what scienific debate is for? (but then, the climate change sceptics aren't doing so well against other, real, scientists).
If however, this is a debate that needs to be had so that NZ can feel comfortable with it's policies and direction on an issue with global scope... then so be it.
I think a full on debate, among professionals, and condensed into policy advice is a darn good idea. Let's not limit it to NZ's community however, let's invite as many world-class advisors as we can lay our hands on. I think the bioengineering RC we had a few years ago came to an emminently sensible conclusion and (apart from concerns raised by the nutters at the NZ Bioethics forum/commune thingy) heard all points of view equally and came up with a very sensible reccomendation for the next 5 years.
The fact that 5 years later we hadn't actually done anything is hardly the RC's fault but the risk is real that this will turn into a talk-fest, a quick kick for touch for political reasons and then ignored until the 'wait and see' period ends and then... we're right back where we started. Thinking about it, if the govt had a credible set of policies for climate, energy and conservation, maybe we wouldn't need to have the debate...
hmmm, yet another symptom of the lack of leadership at NZ Inc. ?
posted by Joe at 3:44 PM
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