We still need climate scepticism

Population blindness Economists’ English China’s influence Music to my older ears

The country’s capital deserves better from its sole daily newspaper than a declaration from the editor-in-chief of its proprietor that with the aim to ‘‘disturb our collective complacency’’ the newspaper will not include climate change scepticism (Editorial, Nov 28).

He continues: ‘‘Including denialism wouldn’t be balanced. The experts have debunked denialism so now we will move on.’’

There is a significant difference between ‘‘scepticism’’ of views expressed by experts and ‘‘denialism’’ of their opinions. A closure of differing viewpoints on major issues while national policy-making on them is under debate hardly serves the public interest.

There will be those who cheer the editor-in-chief’s decision as ‘‘righteous’’. They should be careful what they wish for, and accept. What issue will next be subject to Stuff editorial censorship because its editorin-chief considers scepticism of one viewpoint may encourage complacency, or even opposition?

Perhaps of more concern is whether such censorship will extend beyond the Dominion Post to other print media in the Stuff stable?

The quality of science, as much as law-making, is at its best in an environment of challenge and debate. Closing down one side in your editorial columns seems, at least, over the top.

Bruce Kohn, Hataitai Don’t stand under the elephant’s tail, dearest. Oops – too late, dig him out. Your personal revelation on climate change (Editorial, Nov 28) highlights one of many problems – there were those among us who foresaw the issue and warned us many years ago (like the foreseeing parent above) and especially the Club of Rome, a group of people who in the 1970s modelled the Limits to Growth.

And then there are those of us who lack – or ignore – the vision of the ‘‘prophets’’ and only now are we waking up to a sad truth some 50 years later when a remedy is probably out of our hands. (Nature will sort it, harshly as far as we are concerned. Not that we shouldn’t try something . . . and an apology for our doubting the Club of Rome’s predictions is also due.)

Even now that we have ‘‘seen the problem’’ and realised it is ‘‘us’’, we have no policies (by way of birth control processes) to contain and reduce the world’s population (ours included), which is at the core of these climate change and environmentaldegradation issues.

There will also be Kiwis who still believe New Zealand can maintain a growing population and who refuse to consider why we even ought not to. The worldwide absence of vision in this regard is abject blindness.

So the problem is how do we shine a light on these folk and reveal to them what you have just begun to realise – that this is a big job, we are all in it, it is now urgent and we must engage in joint action.

Because we too are now neatly all arranged under the elephant’s tail. Stuart Reid, Lower Hutt Jim Rose’s Save money on Treasury analysts (Nov 27) has merit – especially the headline and the last paragraph. It is a shame the rest is a diatribe justifying his own excessive salary at Treasury.

Economists don’t have a superior mathematical knowledge to those who study ‘‘sociology, politics and history’’. Those disciplines frequently require advanced mathematical skills.

When I was studying history and politics at Canterbury University years ago I tried to read Samuelson, the Stage 1 economics set text back then.

What I learned is that economists have the ability to use English, redefined, in ways other literate people cannot decrypt. Rose’s article reinforced my early learning.

Steve Farrow, Wilton There is some debate about whether China has some untoward interest in New Zealand politics. Even if we haven’t learned from our own experience, it is quite telling, I think, that Australia has banned Chinese political donations.

If New Zealand did so, perhaps we might have more water in our aquifers, and more of New Zealand would belong to New Zealanders. However, observing our prime minister’s look of wonder and awe in the presence of the Chinese president recently, I guess that would be too much to hope for.

Advertising these days appears to be targeting Asians, indicating that New Zealanders have less discretionary spending than they used to have. Of course there have been plenty of new immigrants from other parts of the world to take up our jobs and throw New Zealanders on the scrapheap of unemployment.

It is apparently acceptable to governments of all stripes that we turn more and more New Zealanders into beneficiaries so that people with property portfolios can make their capital gains without fear of a correction in the market.

Of course in the land of political correctness any concern about the fate of our poor and the huge influx of immigrants can be dismissed as racism. Announcing a plan to build a new stadium and bringing in, yes, more immigrant workers seems to be the trick to relieve concerns.

Carole Naylor, Papakowhai Congratulations to Air New Zealand. As a septugenarian I generally do not appreciate rap music, but I found its safety video amusing, informative and eminently watchable. Contrary to Shane Jones’ accusation, I didn’t hear one f-word. Perhaps he’s just a curmudgeonly w-word? Graham McLauchlan, Pukerua Bay

Safety video confusing

I’ve recently been on two overseas Air NZ flights. I’ve travelled extensively and watched many of their previous safety videos. This latest video is confusing. There’s too much going on. Your eyes are flicking from the ‘‘mish-mash’’ of action, trying to read the onscreen captions, trying to listen to the wording, and attempting to fathom out what is being conveyed. Heaven help someone with limited English trying to work it out. I think it’s a poor safety video.

Vivienne Hutchison, Taupo¯

Do-gooders doing good

I am offended by Shelley Macrae’s thoughtless and insulting comments (Leave kiwi alone, Letters, Nov 16). I am sure the mayor of Wellington, Capital Kiwi, the Department of Conservation and thousands of Wellingtonians are also offended at being labelled ‘‘do-good, fluffy-loving idiots’’.

In our area these do-good, fluffy loving idiots started trapping predators some 10 years ago. This has resulted in a remarkable increase in birdlife – tu¯ ı¯, ka¯ ka¯ , kereru¯ , pu¯ keko, kingfisher, quail and others. If left alone, the odds of a kiwi chick reaching adulthood are 1 in 20. Given human assistance the odds rise to 1 in 5.

This newspaper recently published a report by a wildlife expert who predicted kiwi would be extinct in 60 years’ time. What then will we call ourselves? Weasels maybe. If we allow kiwi to die out then we deserve to be called idiots.

Ted Smith, Makara

Sea-level confusion

Oh the irony – parts of Petone will drown by the end of the century, while some Eastbourne residents can no longer get insurance quotes over the phone. But never fear, we will be able to go watch the circus in the big cosy indoor arena . . . on the waterfront. That’s if the harbourside roads and rail tracks have been raised a couple of metres to keep them open. Oops.

Ellen Faed, Lower Hutt The Dominion Post is subject to the NZ Media Council. Complaints must be directed to editor@dompost

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