Tag: Stuff.co.nz

Fears declining adolescent use of alcohol, tobacco, and cannabis has plateaued, and could reverse

by Bobby Chaim ( Cannabis)

It had then declined quickly, with prevalence now much lower than 20 years ago. But levels of adolescent binge-drinking in Aotearoa remained high by international standards, and disparities in tobacco and cannabis use by ethnicity and socioeconomic status were wide. “Prevention is still a really important focus,” Ball said. The youth offending rate had declined […]

What would a National government do on climate change? | Stuff.co.nz

by Bobby Chaim ( Carbon)

Matt Burgess, newly appointed as economic advisor to the National caucus, has just released a paper titled, “Pretence of Necessity; Why further climate change action isn’t needed and won’t help”. For one, not everyone, least of all farmers, wants a major chunk of NZ farmland converted to pine forest to generate ETS emissions offsets. The […]

COP26: Global climate summit ends in agreement for more action, less coal | Stuff.co.nz

by Bobby Chaim ( Carbon)

The two-week UN climate summit in Glasgow has ended in a joint compromise from nearly 200 countries, including on a number of outstanding sticky issues in the Paris Agreement “rulebook”. The announcement that India had set a net-zero target was a pleasing development, even if the target date is 2070 and its short-term pledges remained […]

Will poor and Indigenous communities pay the price for NZ’s climate inaction? | Stuff.co.nz

by Bobby Chaim ( Carbon)

The Government will be buying millions of tonnes of carbon credits in order to meet its Nationally Determined Contribution , the goal set by each country under the Paris Agreement. Under both national and international law, affected communities should be consulted before a project starts, he said. “It is only when that final gavel lands […]

COP26: Reentry of US a ‘gamechanger’ says James Shaw as he arrives at climate talks | Stuff.co.nz

by Bobby Chaim ( Carbon)

The success of the climate summit now rests on the shoulders of government representatives, including Climate Change Minister James Shaw, who has arrived for the UN talks in Glasgow. At the same time, concessions that allow countries to trade “hot air”, double-count emissions savings or to provide incomplete reports on their Paris pledges would also […]

COP26: Could Brazil hold up climate talks for a third year in a row?

by Bobby Chaim ( Carbon)

After years’ of stalemate, there are clues the Brazilians may be softening their stance during the COP26 climate talks in Glasgow. Under the Paris accord, each country will create emissions tallies, which might be produced annually, or every couple of years. Carbon-neutral products and services, which rely on carbon credits, are becoming increasingly popular. The […]