Like the High Priests of old who dispensed their eschatological, imminent destruction, end-of-times world view, the new high priests of Climate dismiss criticism of their faith with all the conceit, arrogance and glibness of their predecessors.
We were treated to such a display last week by Dr Rod Carr in discussing the recommendations of his Commission to government, the content of which seriously suggests destroying thousands upon thousands of livelihoods to combat New Zealand’s less-than 1/3,000th of 1 degree contribution to ‘global warming’.
Playing down the negative impacts we heard repeatedly of the mysterious cost of a mere 1% of GDP despite heavyweight analysis by NZIER and Treasury of much worse fiscal damage if the policies were pursued, more in the order of 5-8%. That’s huge!
The Commission performed this minor miracle of mitigation with simple voodoo economics, ignoring the official advice and coming up with their own analysis using their own very special brand of economics called C-PLAN.
Under C-PLAN, believe it or not (it’s true, I’m not kidding), despite the reduction proposed in agricultural activity, the destruction of our steel, aluminium, coal, gas and several other industries “there would be little change in [financial] output compared to the Current Policy Reference case.”
Yes, really. Try telling that to a board of directors.
During Carr’s conversation with Mike Yardley on Newstalk Monday all of the conceit, arrogance and glibness was on perfect display:
Yardley: “How many jobs, during that transition, do you believe will be destroyed over the next fifteen years?”
Carr: “Well, in the ordinary course of the dynamics of the New Zealand economy, jobs are lost every day…”
But that high-handed dismissal of the negative was just a tease, a mere warm-up for the next harrumph:
“Mike Yardley: “Just a quickie on agriculture: does the Commission accept that we already produce the lowest carbon-impact beef and dairy in the world?”
Rod Carr: “Given the way we produce it; that is true. But being the best whale-hunters in the world didn’t protect the whaling fleets of the past.”
Behold; the activist speaks. How does the managed, scientific, farming of domestic animals in the 21st century in any way co-relate to the predatory hunting of a wild species, an industry that largely died out over 100 years ago, except in the disturbed thinking of a green zealot?
Be very afraid, New Zealand. This government, this whaling ship of fools, has no better sense of reality than Carr, and will probably accept most of the Commission’s recommendations. Lord, hear our prayers.
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