Good Thinking by Nick Smith

A press release last Friday by Dr Nick Smith didn't seem to hit the spot with the MSM. It is a goody.

Smith takes apart the hypocrisy and double speak of the government's electricity generator Meridian's very public claim its electricity is carbon neutral - when one third of its generation is bought off thermal generators

The sophistry and mendacity of Meridian is outrageous. Meridian claims the carbon emissions from its thermal power purchased off the grid are offset by the purchase of carbon credits. These notionally avoided incremental emission units are being purchased from projects like Trust Power’s Tararua wind farm.


As Smith points out this is pure sophistry:

“The idea that Meridian can magically convert thermal electricity into ‘certified carbon-neutral electricity’ by buying these sorts of carbon units is modern day hocus-pocus. It has as much credibility as the old church practice of penance where money could buy forgiveness for sins.

Perfectly said.