One of my roles that I have had for a long time is as an executive member of the Organic Dairy and Pastoral Group, the peak body for all organically certified pastoral farmers in New Zealand. Over the last few months we have sort to engage and offer service to the office of the Parliamentary Commissioner for the Environment.
Recently the group had a response from the office. This cast aspersions on the role of biological carbon sequestration in soil and what organic, biological and regenerative farming has to offer. This appears to be based on the advice of the Biological Emissions Reference Group, and some poor limited scientific data presented to us from the office of the commissioner.
Unfortunately, the Biological Emissions Reference Group (BERG) is made up of the same usual industry bodies. They have no inherent interest either politically or financially in looking at any solutions other than those that benefit themselves. Research solutions they offer are complicated technological hard system responses when the underlying issues and the ecosystem processes that are involved are complex soft system management problems. You don’t find opportunities if you’re not looking for them…
Quiet simply what was offered to the Office of the Parliamentary Commissioner for the Environment is knowledge. The answers are there, the science has already been done. This is the future of the planet and our children’s futures at stake. The office said they are “looking into it more” and would have a full opinion on the subject next year. Sigh.
All we are seeing is a bunch of cronies, middle management bureaucrats and scientists trying to keep themselves employed and look for funding streams at our future expense.
The recently concluded UN climate talks in Poland stated the next two years are the most critical years within the decision-making process for the future of the planet. Time to get on with it then.
I challenge the Office of the Parliamentary Commissioner for the Environment to prove that it understands what it’s meant to be doing and what’s at stake. For that matter the government in general. Do I really have to go to the top to get things done? Are you listening Prime Minister!
Me, angry? Yep.
Because I have four kids.
I’ll put my hand up for the way forward, to be a leader, and I’ll do it for free. Take the opportunity to engage and learn. I dare you too.
Merry Xmas everybody.
Organic Farm Systems 