New climate change vision is needed
Congratulations on your editorial in Friday’s paper calling for a climate change plan. After all it is 16 months since the Paris Agreement and our Government has done nothing to mitigate our greenhouse gas emissions, or to announce a strategy.
As a member of the public it is deeply disappointing to observe our politicians continually putting up standard ‘political speak’ arguments that block intelligent and resourceful innovation and vision. They do it in government, in local bodies, and in farming leadership. It is only when the public get angry and concerned that government acts, like in the housing crisis, or the water crisis.
Already overseas there is a strong movement to grow renewable industries and create a new type of world civilisation that adjusts for the challenges we now face. Even here in New Zealand Meridian Energy is moving to grow the future of electric vehicles. As part of protecting tomorrow it has been establishing free charging stations in malls and intends to have 50 per cent of its car fleet electric by next year. United States. It closed for want of money. Its observation as to the motivation of honestreporting.com stands. It should also be noted that in referring to the Palmer Report, the BSA noted ‘‘it found in September 2011 that the Israeli naval blockade of Gaza was legal, but that Israel used excessive force during the incident’’. The finding of legality was subsequently ‘‘rejected by a UN Human Rights Council panel of five independent human rights experts’’, it further noted. – Grant Shimmin, News Director.
If other countries are taking positive actions to reduce carbon emissions, so can we. We as a nation are very slow to adapt. We are blessed with a good amount of pristine spring water but have done little to harness that wealth, allowing overseas companies to exploit the regions, whether fluoridated or not, NZ Dental School Statistics clearly show teeth improving.
The latest data (2015) reveals some unfluoridated areas, and not small ones either, have less dental decay than fluoridated ones.
South Canterbury shows remarkable improvement. Look at the improvement here for 12-yearolds. Decayed, missing and filled teeth (DMFT) dropped from 1.07 to 0.88 and the caries-free rate in one year improved from 57.10 per cent to 61.77 per cent!
The 5-year-olds’ DMFT rate dropped from 1.52 to 1.39 and the caries-free rate, in one year, improved from 63.48 per cent to 64.32 per cent.
These improvements occurred without fluoridation, yet health authorities prophesy like parrots an imagined 40 per cent reduction in dental decay by increasing fluoridation. resource. It is time for better thinking by our leaders and a new vision that takes up the riches of our land, a vision that protects our environment, instead of blocking innovation with political speak. Geraldine
Any competent mathematician would call ‘foul’ and close the game, particularly if he or she was aware of the insidious dollar drive behind the play.
Follow the Money, by Carol Kopf, explains how big companies such as pharmaceutical equipment manufacturers and insurance companies pour money into fluoridation-promoting dental groups and organisations (Letter from the ADA’s Chief Financial Officer to US Senator Charles Grassley, January 20, 2010).
Is common sense spending dying for want of brain power?
Dental statistics show that after 50 years of fluoridation, it isn’t working.
But then, health authorities have acknowledged the fact that swallowing fluoride does not stop dental decay. Imelda Hitchcock Timaru