Factors in looking at sea level rise
In his simplistic attempt to discredit the stated difference in mean sea level rise between Tuvalu and Fiji, Bruce Bell trots out the cup of water in a bowl counter argument (“The deep end”, letters May 4).
As Christopher Piecuch, a climate scientist at Woods Hole Oceanographic Institute, says, this is the bathtub analogy that would be very quickly dispelled in an oceanography 101 class. The ocean, he says, is way more complicated than a simple container of water.
Among other influences on how high water is in different places are ocean currents and changing winds. For example, the slowing down of the Gulf Stream is helping to drive faster-than-average sea level rise along much of the US east coast, almost twice as fast as the global average in some places.
Also exacerbating sea level rise everywhere is the fact that oceans are expanding with global heating, and this has varying effects from place to place.
A study in the journal Global and Planetary Change of sea level variations at tropical Pacific islands since 1950 confirms that El Nino and La Nina events have a strong modulating effect on sea level variability of the western tropical Pacific. Those climate conditions affect us too.
Ross Forbes
Kerikeri
And again
Bruce Bell offers a too simplistic analogy by comparing and expecting sea level rise at any particular place to be as uniform as pouring a cup of water into a bowl of water.
A more science-educated person will understand why this argument cannot be held applicable. Sea level rise does vary at different locations according to changes to ocean currents and sea temperatures. Only by taking the global average can one arrive at a true figure.
Ray Paterson
Kaimaumau
Nail it
It’s a pity some idiots are still venting their spleens on the new speed limit signs. It’s also a pity our council is too namby-pamby to use the ancient reliable defence of sprinkling a few caltrops either side of each sign.
Peter Kerr
O¯ kaihau Editor: A caltrop is an ‘area denial weapon’ made up of two or more sharp nails or spines arranged in such a manner that one of them always
It’s a hard job, and most teachers expected to be masters of every subject are wrung out by Friday, and more stressed than they should be too often.
points upwards from a stable base. Historically they were used to slow the advance of troops, especially horses, chariots and war elephants, and were particularly effective against the soft feet of camels. In modern times they are effective when used against wheeled vehicles with pneumatic tyres.
Full gallop
The Government has let the public service get completely out of control before attempting to rein it in.
Since Labour took office the public service has increased by 10,000 people. The average growth per year under Labour is 6 per cent. It was 1 per cent when Act had a confidence and supply agreement with Government.
The number of bureaucrats earning more than $100,000 has grown by 43 per cent, from 10,519 in 2018 to 15,055 now. And it’s not like we’re getting value for money. Delivery from Government has been so poor it’s had to start an ‘implementation unit’ because it’s been failing to deliver.
It’s all well and good to virtue signal now about pausing pay increases, but 10,000 bureaucrats and one implementation unit later, the horse has already bolted. What we need now is an assurance from Labour that it won’t hire expensive consultants to avoid a head count of fulltime staff. It’s understood some recruiters in Wellington have said they have “more government contracts than they know what to do with.”
David Seymour
Leader, Act
Foreign affrays
So now we have a Minister of Foreign Affairs, Nanaia Mahuta, who has chosen to portray New Zealand internationally as a mythical beast from an ancient culture. Wow! How long before the US uses Donald
Duck?
Bryan Johnson
Omokoroa
Hot potato
An extremely knowledgeable and pleasant senior inspector of schools, back in the days before the PC ERO and Tomorrow’s Schools, asked me what my hot potato was. He meant teaching subject strength. I replied, ‘People.’
‘Go on my boy, explain,’ he requested. It was 64 years ago, and he was right in calling me a boy. ‘Poets, musicians, inventors, great thinkers and humanitarians and the like,’ says I.
He asked about maths spelling and reading skills, and together we discussed how these skills fitted into the picture, plus the importance of pupils being trained for listening and to verbally express their thoughts. I was told not to forget local parents who had talents, expertise and historical knowledge.
Long after school finished and the playground was deserted we talked on, with some kutai fritters and a glass of wine, in the school house. I was told my pupils were achieving very well, and I had good parentteacher relations. The whole school was going well, and he had enjoyed his day, but that no doubt in the future I could find the Department of Education, as it was called back then, seeing educational methods differently, and he was right.
I loved teaching kids, especially when you saw the lights coming on. It’s a hard job, and most teachers expected to be masters of every subject are wrung out by Friday, and more stressed than they should be too often.
Every race and culture has contributed to humankind’s achievements, and to concentrate on one race or culture is dumb, as are some of the flaky educational theories confusing pupils at present.
I can sing a Ma¯ ori waiata, and with hearing aids adjusted enjoy Tchaikovsky’s violin concerto. Many cultures enrich. One teaching method may not suit all. Some teaching approaches to maths obviously aren’t working.
Hamiora
Kerikeri
How does he know?
In your edition of April 20, prominence was given to James Renwick’s claim that New Zealand’s gross greenhouse gas emissions in 2019 increased by 2 per cent. Presumably he meant that emissions in 2019 were 2 per cent more than in 2018.
Now we all know that this is quite irrelevant to changing climate, which is a constant. But I’m a little fascinated as to how Mr Renwick has come to make this claim.
How does he know what New Zealand’s greenhouse gas emissions were in 2018? And how does he know what they were in 2019?
Did he wander around our homes checking how much firewood we were burning? Did he roam our highways checking on how much exhaust fumes were being produced? Did he wander the streets and the public bars and the parks, checking on how many cigarettes were being smoked? Did he scour our farms checking on cattle flatulence? Was he all over New Zealand 24/7 checking everything, in both 2018 and 2019?
Perhaps Mr Renwick will surprise us all, and respond to this inquiry, unlike any other public figure challenged via your organ. If he does, I hope he won’t tell us that it’s simply a matter of measuring the atmospheric gases over New Zealand ‘cause that just won’t cut it.
Leo Leitch Benneydale
Lost sheep
A very good editorial, ‘How to honour our war heroes every day’ (April 27).
The question is, where does one start? Do we put our faith, hope and trust in politics and religion, or do we put our hope, faith and trust in the Holy Heavenly Creator Father and His first begotten son Jesus Christ?
Yes, the Holy Father claims that Satan is real and has many followers, who glorify themselves instead of Him the Creator Father.
Sadly, the woes of this world have