Ryan Mearns
@ryanmearns.bsky.social
Living in Wellington, New Zealand
Reposted by Ryan Mearns
The Zero Carbon Act in 2019 represented then-Prime Minister Jacinda Ardern's promise to tackle her generation's "nuclear-free moment" head on.
Six years on, analysis (by me) suggests the law has been hollowed out to little more than a husk.
www.rnz.co.nz/news/nationa...
Six years on, analysis (by me) suggests the law has been hollowed out to little more than a husk.
www.rnz.co.nz/news/nationa...
How Jacinda Ardern’s ‘groundbreaking’ climate law has become ‘a shell’
The Zero Carbon Act promised to lock climate ambition into law. But with key policies repealed, delayed or watered down, the once 'world-leading' legislation has become a husk of its former self.
www.rnz.co.nz
August 18, 2025 at 7:10 PM
The Zero Carbon Act in 2019 represented then-Prime Minister Jacinda Ardern's promise to tackle her generation's "nuclear-free moment" head on.
Six years on, analysis (by me) suggests the law has been hollowed out to little more than a husk.
www.rnz.co.nz/news/nationa...
Six years on, analysis (by me) suggests the law has been hollowed out to little more than a husk.
www.rnz.co.nz/news/nationa...
Reposted by Ryan Mearns
NZ’s gas supply is collapsing — and the govt’s big fix? More drilling. But experts (including Shane Jones’ advisors) say it likely won’t work, and there’s no backup plan if it fails.
My story here
www.rnz.co.nz/news/nationa...
My story here
www.rnz.co.nz/news/nationa...
Why drilling for fossil fuels is not expected to fix our energy crisis
The government is touting oil and gas exploration as the answer. But there are grave doubts it will work.
www.rnz.co.nz
August 3, 2025 at 8:47 PM
NZ’s gas supply is collapsing — and the govt’s big fix? More drilling. But experts (including Shane Jones’ advisors) say it likely won’t work, and there’s no backup plan if it fails.
My story here
www.rnz.co.nz/news/nationa...
My story here
www.rnz.co.nz/news/nationa...
Reposted by Ryan Mearns
The first planned migration of an entire country due to climate change is happening! Tuvalu, a Pacific island nation, is at risk of being submerged under rising sea level, so it has signed an agreement with Australia to allow 280 Tuvaluans to settle in Australia as permanent residents each year.
The First Planned Migration of an Entire Country Is Underway
The Pacific island nation of Tuvalu could be submerged in 25 years due to rising sea levels, so a plan is being implemented to relocate its population to Australia.
www.wired.com
July 26, 2025 at 10:20 AM
The first planned migration of an entire country due to climate change is happening! Tuvalu, a Pacific island nation, is at risk of being submerged under rising sea level, so it has signed an agreement with Australia to allow 280 Tuvaluans to settle in Australia as permanent residents each year.
Light rail in Izmir Türkiye
June 21, 2025 at 8:23 PM
Light rail in Izmir Türkiye
New Zealand government sued over ‘dangerously inadequate’ emissions reduction plan www.theguardian.com/world/2025/j...
New Zealand government sued over ‘dangerously inadequate’ emissions reduction plan
Exclusive: In the first legal challenge to the plan, top climate lawyers claim the government relies too heavily on forestry and failed to consult the public
www.theguardian.com
June 10, 2025 at 5:33 AM
New Zealand government sued over ‘dangerously inadequate’ emissions reduction plan www.theguardian.com/world/2025/j...
Reposted by Ryan Mearns
We have a "never use yellow if you can help it" rule for our charts. We couldn't help it on this one
www.economist.com/united-state...
www.economist.com/united-state...
May 23, 2025 at 4:39 PM
We have a "never use yellow if you can help it" rule for our charts. We couldn't help it on this one
www.economist.com/united-state...
www.economist.com/united-state...
The great thing about a nish kumar show is that he speaks at my preferred podcast speed of 1.3x
May 2, 2025 at 12:08 PM
The great thing about a nish kumar show is that he speaks at my preferred podcast speed of 1.3x
Picketty: "Trump is...nothing more than a thwarted colonial leader. Like European powers of the past, he wants the « Pax Americana » to be rewarded by subsidies from a grateful world—the era no longer lends itself to this type of brutal and unrestrained colonialism."
www.lemonde.fr/blog/piketty...
www.lemonde.fr/blog/piketty...
Rethinking the world without the US
The United States is no longer a reliable country. For some, this is nothing new. The Iraq War, launched in 2003 – resulting in over 100,000 deaths, lasting regional destabilization, and the return of...
www.lemonde.fr
April 16, 2025 at 9:28 PM
Picketty: "Trump is...nothing more than a thwarted colonial leader. Like European powers of the past, he wants the « Pax Americana » to be rewarded by subsidies from a grateful world—the era no longer lends itself to this type of brutal and unrestrained colonialism."
www.lemonde.fr/blog/piketty...
www.lemonde.fr/blog/piketty...
Please submit your 90-day investment plans to the central planning committee at the White House for review.
April 9, 2025 at 9:57 PM
Please submit your 90-day investment plans to the central planning committee at the White House for review.
Reposted by Ryan Mearns
I think I missed some. But here’s a fun fact: the Heard and Macdonald Islands are uninhabited.
The tariff is on penguins.
The tariff is on penguins.
April 2, 2025 at 10:27 PM
I think I missed some. But here’s a fun fact: the Heard and Macdonald Islands are uninhabited.
The tariff is on penguins.
The tariff is on penguins.
beabadoobee covers Bic Runga’s ‘Sway’ for Like A Version
www.youtube.com/watch?v=ii_H...
www.youtube.com/watch?v=ii_H...
beabadoobee covers Bic Runga’s ‘Sway’ for Like A Version
YouTube video by triple j
www.youtube.com
March 2, 2025 at 9:12 AM
beabadoobee covers Bic Runga’s ‘Sway’ for Like A Version
www.youtube.com/watch?v=ii_H...
www.youtube.com/watch?v=ii_H...
Reposted by Ryan Mearns
I put some thoughts together about the proposal to have a referendum on moving to a four year term (provided a given parliament agrees to adopt a specific procedural rule regarding the makeup of select committee membership, otherwise it will still have a three year term ... ).
The strings attached to the four-year parliamentary term proposal, explained
Giving the opposition more power on select committees is actually a pretty good idea. But is it enough of an extra accountability measure?
thespinoff.co.nz
February 27, 2025 at 6:19 PM
I put some thoughts together about the proposal to have a referendum on moving to a four year term (provided a given parliament agrees to adopt a specific procedural rule regarding the makeup of select committee membership, otherwise it will still have a three year term ... ).
I think I favour a 4-year term, but the question of whether NZ wants 4-years should be understood as moving from a 6-year term with a 3-year referendum based the political culture of minimum 2-term govts, rather than just saying 4-years is better than 3-years.
www.rnz.co.nz/news/politic...
www.rnz.co.nz/news/politic...
Four-year parliamentary term legislation to be introduced, would go to referendum
Any change will have to go to a referendum first, Justice Minister Paul Goldsmith says.
www.rnz.co.nz
February 26, 2025 at 11:34 PM
I think I favour a 4-year term, but the question of whether NZ wants 4-years should be understood as moving from a 6-year term with a 3-year referendum based the political culture of minimum 2-term govts, rather than just saying 4-years is better than 3-years.
www.rnz.co.nz/news/politic...
www.rnz.co.nz/news/politic...
Reposted by Ryan Mearns
the baltic states officially cut ties with russia’s electricity grid and plug into the eu
while looking like a eurovision entry
while looking like a eurovision entry
February 10, 2025 at 5:23 PM
the baltic states officially cut ties with russia’s electricity grid and plug into the eu
while looking like a eurovision entry
while looking like a eurovision entry
'Stop Worshiping the American Tech Giants' writes Khan, warning of the Boeing-ification of Big Tech. www.nytimes.com/2025/02/04/o...
Opinion | DeepSeek Serves as a Warning About Big Tech
The arrival of DeepSeek shows us the competitive weaknesses of America’s tech giants.
www.nytimes.com
February 4, 2025 at 10:08 PM
'Stop Worshiping the American Tech Giants' writes Khan, warning of the Boeing-ification of Big Tech. www.nytimes.com/2025/02/04/o...
The explicit chain of thought reasoning in the deepseek app ui is very cool, and the quality of the response is probably better than Claude’s sonnet model which I use for most queries.
January 27, 2025 at 7:32 PM
The explicit chain of thought reasoning in the deepseek app ui is very cool, and the quality of the response is probably better than Claude’s sonnet model which I use for most queries.
In an effort to connect with my fellow New Zealanders on here, we can all agree that Oriental Bay > Mission Bay for summer afterwork swims, right?
January 21, 2025 at 12:55 AM
In an effort to connect with my fellow New Zealanders on here, we can all agree that Oriental Bay > Mission Bay for summer afterwork swims, right?
Reposted by Ryan Mearns
Newsletter: No, Trump didn’t make $50 billion from his memecoin.
www.citationneeded.news/trump-memeco...
www.citationneeded.news/trump-memeco...
No, Trump didn’t make $50 billion from his memecoin
Journalists’ flawed math and ignorance of crypto markets turn tokens into fake fortunes
www.citationneeded.news
January 20, 2025 at 2:41 PM
Newsletter: No, Trump didn’t make $50 billion from his memecoin.
www.citationneeded.news/trump-memeco...
www.citationneeded.news/trump-memeco...
"Many years from now, NZ kids will ask their grandparents about Chris Wood ... was there really a Waikato-raised kid sparking the modern revival of Nottingham Forest ... The senior folk will just nod their heads: 'The crazy thing is, it’s true. All of it.'”
www.nzherald.co.nz/sport/footba...
www.nzherald.co.nz/sport/footba...
Michael Burgess: Why the rise and rise of Chris Wood beggars belief
OPINION: Chris Wood had to wait almost 10 years for a regular Premier League opportunity.
www.nzherald.co.nz
January 20, 2025 at 8:32 PM
"Many years from now, NZ kids will ask their grandparents about Chris Wood ... was there really a Waikato-raised kid sparking the modern revival of Nottingham Forest ... The senior folk will just nod their heads: 'The crazy thing is, it’s true. All of it.'”
www.nzherald.co.nz/sport/footba...
www.nzherald.co.nz/sport/footba...
For a film effectively shot within 4-walls, Conclave is a gripping political drama that keeps you guessing until it ends with a bang. While some characters can become caricatures of themselves, Fiennes' performance elevates the film -- well worth a watch.
www.theguardian.com/film/2024/no...
www.theguardian.com/film/2024/no...
Conclave review – Ralph Fiennes shines as papal election results in high-camp gripper
Fiennes is broodingly compelling as a potential English pope caught up in murky Vatican intrigue around choosing the next pontiff
www.theguardian.com
January 16, 2025 at 8:58 PM
For a film effectively shot within 4-walls, Conclave is a gripping political drama that keeps you guessing until it ends with a bang. While some characters can become caricatures of themselves, Fiennes' performance elevates the film -- well worth a watch.
www.theguardian.com/film/2024/no...
www.theguardian.com/film/2024/no...
Welcome my friend @landforward.bsky.social!
January 11, 2025 at 9:18 PM
Welcome my friend @landforward.bsky.social!
How did the Black Caps win that game.
December 28, 2024 at 10:29 AM
How did the Black Caps win that game.
Major New Zealand Bank will stop providing new loans to petrol stations due to energy transition move to electric www.interest.co.nz/banking/1312...
BNZ wants out of gas stations by 2030, farmer lobby group not happy
Federated Farmers asks the Commerce Commission to investigate bank 'cartel-like' climate goals, BNZ tells petrol station owners it won't offer any new loans to the sector
www.interest.co.nz
December 11, 2024 at 9:43 PM
Major New Zealand Bank will stop providing new loans to petrol stations due to energy transition move to electric www.interest.co.nz/banking/1312...