Copenhagen NZ reputation

Listening to National Radio in the car the other day - there was a piece about the Copenhagen conference and all that. However one thing stood out for me. It was voiced that it was very important for the NZ Export sector to convince European consumers that NZ is pulling its weight on climate change issues.
Can anybody else spot what is wrong with this picture? [}]

Here is a hint - these European consumers are apparently perfectly happy to have their food shipped in from the opposite side of the planet - provided the country it is coming from is doing well on climate change issues. :confused::confused::confused:

Erm - it may just be me - but if you are worried about climate change - would the most sensible thing not be to stop bulk shipping food from one side of the planet to the other?

Thoughts?

The situation you describe is known as 'food miles' and European consumers have been well aware of the error of importing from distant markets for some time.

The organics industry which is obviously more sensitive to this issue than most identified the food miles issue as a major marketing hurdle as early as the mid 1990s, and with it now having morphed into 'carbon footprint' the opportunity for potential markets and our trade competitors to use it against us is rapidly increasing.

Think global, buy local :cool:

Huggiechook;294498 wrote: It was voiced that it was very important for the NZ Export sector to convince European consumers that NZ is pulling its weight on climate change issues.
Can anybody else spot what is wrong with this picture? [}]

Yes: If everyone in NZ dropped dead tomorrow the net effect on climate change would be precisely zero.

That's what you meant, right?

ame;294505 wrote: Yes: If everyone in NZ dropped dead tomorrow the net effect on climate change would be precisely zero.

That's what you meant, right?

Not quite - I did not intend to open a discussion on the whole field of "Is there climate change - what causes it - and (depending on the answers to the first 2 questions) what can be done about it" - especially since my own views on the subject would most likely be viewed as inflammatory[}]

What I was getting at was more the hypocrisy of consumers who apparently ARE worried about the contribution to climate change that the country their food comes from makes but on the other hand seem to be untroubled by the fact that it has to be shipped round the world to get to them. So to me it is more a case of - either you are worries about it or you are not - make up your mind! I don't think mix n match is a defensible position here.

No surprises there....The whole thing is a hypocrisy about dollars

Huggiechook last year in the UK when local producers tried to get every one to stop buying our produce because of the "food miles", they ended up with egg on their fsace when it was proved the we in NZ used less carbon to produce and ship to the UK that their producers used to grow and deliver theirs.

It is because of our methods of production that this is so. This only applies to produce shipped not flown over.:confused:

In saying produce I am referring mostly to Dairy & meat products.

arnie.m;294519 wrote: Huggiechook last year in the UK when local producers tried to get every one to stop buying our produce because of the "food miles", they ended up with egg on their fsace when it was proved the we in NZ used less carbon to produce and ship to the UK that their producers used to grow and deliver theirs.

It is because of our methods of production that this is so. This only applies to produce shipped not flown over.:confused:

In saying produce I am referring mostly to Dairy & meat products.

That situation will change as we pass (have passed) peak oil and the reality of New Zealand's geographical isolation starts to hit home in terms of the changing economics of international trading.

copenhagen is just a bunch of bull s%#t , its all about the dollars and how governments around the world can con taxpayers out of a few more dollars