blogging it real

I note a lot of talk about climate change and global heating of late - including not only a road-to-Damascus conversion for Labour, but also a report estimating the ballpark cost of climate change at a cool GBP 3.68 trillion, or $10.53 trillion in local currency. Notably, the majority of NZ's emissions are related to pastoralism (see the above NRT link), while the Observer report uses another NZ example:

Air freight is one of the most lightly taxed areas of transport since aviation fuel is tax-free and there are no passengers to pay duty. Yet green campaigners say the planet can ill afford the thousands of 'food miles' travelled by exotic produce. One kilo of kiwi fruit flown from New Zealand to Europe discharges 5kg of carbon into the atmosphere.

Nice to know a few million Brits will be reading that today. A shame they don't hear more about the other shit that goes down here, with dirty fucking farmers dumping their dirty fucking waste into our public sewers, sorry, rivers.

Perhaps it's time to think about abandoning the nineteenth century basis of our economy (extensive pastoralism), and think about how to tax productive twentieth century add-ons (kiwifruit, viticulture), thereby freeing up space for extensive reforestation. We could even charge others to buy up said forest as carbon sinks. And the tuis, bellbirds, kokako, kaka, weka and moreporks would like it too.

Is a post-pastoral New Zealand finally within reach? Farmers have denuded our landscapes and shat in our rivers for too long!