Fast charging stations for electric vehicles at Pak'nSave in Kapiti. File photo / Rosalie Willis
Regarding Bjorn Lomborg's article (NZ Herald, March 9). I can only agree with him "that they are a joy to drive" and will not change the climate.
You are not sitting, waiting for gear change, but have immediate torque.
With about 20 moving parts including doors, wheels, motor and
window wiper, there is little to repair or maintain.
A couple of years ago, there was much written about the batteries being solid silicon within two years at half the price and 3-4 times the mileage between charges. If Lomborg (or anybody else) knows why this has not happened, that would be news.
I can not understand why there are not more fast-charging stations, as electricity is almost everywhere and does not have to be distributed like various kinds of petrol or diesel. We have only had highway-capable electric cars for 11 years not decades, but I fully agree "if you think you can save the climate with electric cars, you are completely wrong".
Axel Hansen, Auckland Central.
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In his Dialogue article (NZ Herald, Mach 9), Bjorn Lomborg's argument against electric cars rests almost solely on the assertion that "they are powered by electricity largely produced from fossil fuel in many parts of the world".
Why is he and the International Energy Agency downplaying the incremental advances in solar energy worldwide?
Perhaps the petroleum-based car industry is running scared?
Juliet Leigh, Pt Chevalier.
A whole year has passed but the pain of the incident is still there. I am grateful to God, however, for making New Zealand a heaven on Earth which I can call my own with pride.
Not a day passes without me praying for the people of New Zealand for showing who they truly are at this time of unimaginable grief.
Long live New Zealand, long live the peace of this land.
Humna Khan, Auckland Central.
The reaction to current oil price war and lowered prices at New Zealand pumps sadly means more use and abuse of fossil fuel to damage our atmosphere.
Maybe we learn something from how, in just a few months, a virus got out of control and has affected almost every country on the planet?
Climate change can and will do the same and politicians will struggle to react, let alone mitigate it, after the fact.
Rob Buchanan, Kerikeri.
Regarding the recruiting of retired nurses and doctors to cover for staff in self-isolation after exposure to the coronavirus. Older retired medical staff are more likely to die. Will they get danger money?
This will not be the last coronavirus pandemic. Without a reliable screening and tracking system, more nurses and doctors at primary health care facilities will be quarantined until we are severely understaffed for the usual flu season onslaught.
Steve Russell, Hillcrest.
This morning's newspaper (NZ Herald, March 9) includes a report about the Government looking to help struggling businesses by ramping up its response to the coronavirus outbreak. We are informed that "Kiwis can now find all the information they need on the coronavirus on their mobile phones – or on PM Jacinda Ardern's Twitter account".
It seems that again, the big chunk of NZers who for one reason or another do not have a mobile phone, may not have access to a computer, and are not partakers of Jacinda's Twitter account, have been forgotten.
Accepting that this group includes a statistically high number of elderly folk who are considered more at risk from the virus, makes this more than just a point of interest. The debacle of the 2018 attempt to create the latest NZ Census illustrates the outcome of failing to recognise that not all NZers run their lives with a mobile in their hand and multi online services available.
One in 10 NZers failed to engage with that attempt to record an online version of the Census, resulting in a failure to provide the much needed information and also resulting in the resignation of the Statistics NZ chief executive, Liz McPherson.
Surely it's time the Government acknowledged the reality of this "missing" group.
M. Carol Scott, Birkenhead.
Numerous Auckland beaches now closed to swimmers because of contamination by raw sewage is an outrage.
The devastating poliomyelitis epidemics of the 1940s and 1950s were due to similar contamination. It is only the splendid Sabin poliomyelitis vaccine that now saves us from a similar fate.
Mayor Goff and the council, who constantly boast of a great city, you are not correct.
Hylton Le Grice, Remuera.
Monday's editorial (NZ Herald, March 9) juxtaposed nicely with Tracey Barnett's commentary on Joe Biden's ascent in the Democratic primaries.
I agree with much of Tracey's sentiments, but regrettably, this isn't the time for a revolution. Bernie Sanders' policies are compelling and passionate, but with that degree of liberal politics he frightens the very voters he needs to cultivate, the moderates. They statistically participate in the voting process far more than Sanders' hardcore supporters - youth and minorities.
What we have in 2020 is disruption and polarisation, benefiting no one except the Russians, and so the name of this particular game is to win against Donald Trump.
Your editorial goes some way in highlighting his ineptitude in handling the coronavirus crisis, and there is numerous evidence to support the fact that this President is more show than substance. The USA critically needs a cohesive plan to battle this health threat and the CDC is scrambling to provide this in a vacuum.
Potus obviously hasn't grasped the catastrophic outcomes of not having enough testing kits available, so the country can't even begin to record the number of people who may have contracted the virus. You can't contain and treat what you can't identify.
Sorry Tracey, idiocy hasn't just invaded the DNC but the White House as well, and we need to bow to expediency and nominate someone who could win this election.
Mary Hearn, Glendowie.
Your correspondent Paul Judge (NZ Herald, March 10) is celebrating the huge 30 per cent jump in the British vegan industry. Just like the percentage increases in EVs, it's all statistics and hyperbole.
There are 600,000 vegans out of 65 million people in the UK, which is less than 1 per cent. Therefore, a 30 per cent increase in real terms is in fact about 0.03 per cent of a population which has a growth rate of 0.06 per cent.
This would indicate that although the physical number of vegans are increasing in the UK, they are in fact diminishing as a population percentage.
Kent Millar, Blockhouse Bay.
I may not be a Latin scholar, but after a lifetime working in education, I have come to respect how te reo, the classics and our history mould the cultural diversity of the world we live in.
Having had an education that embraces a meld of sciences, social science and the arts, I appreciate just how important it is for a comprehensive education background. The suggestion that our NCEA Level One subjects be "watered down" by removing subjects like Latin, classical studies and art history is a serious mistake.
Likewise removing the options of biology, chemistry, physics and Earth science, in favour of science, is ill advised.
It may be that the number of students taking these subjects is not high, but that should not preclude those who want to do so. Why should those who wish to pursue a more academic education be prevented from doing so?
I encourage all who feel strongly to respond to the call for submissions on the proposed changes to NCEA to be made by April 20.
Bruce Owen, Bombay.
On coronavirus
Nature has thrown humanity a challenge in the form of a contagious virus. This presents an opportunity for us humans to unite, and stand together beyond race, nationality and borders in order to face such a universal threat. Ahmed Asgher, Oratia.
Amongst the cacophony surrounding coronavirus, I would like to single out Ashley Bloomfield for his calm and measured presentation of daily updates. Alan Johnson, Papatoetoe.
On Foran
Greg Foran's action as CEO of Air New Zealand is such a breath of fresh air in times of uncertainty and directly contrasts with the greed of other publicly funded boards currently under scrutiny. Mary Tallon, Morningside.
On Chiefs
Warren Gatland is confused by the Chiefs' slow starts. I would have thought it was pretty obvious, it is the half back. The game totally changes when Webber comes on as a replacement. Jock Mac Vicar, Hauraki.
On Australia
Just maybe, somewhere in the Australian psyche is an unwillingness to accept New Zealand's place and standing in the International community. John Michael, Mt Albert.
On e-vehicles
It is true that EVs alone won't stop climate change, but in a country like New Zealand where more than 80 per cent of energy is generated using renewable sources, they sure are part of the solution. David Clark, Glendowie.
The reality of electric cars seems to be that they are most suitable for the people who should be on public transport, and that they are not the answer to climate change. Aidan Crabtree, Titirangi.
One issue seemed harder to agree on than most - how big the crowd was.