Damon Rusden: How do we cope with fewer cows?

Damon Rusden. Photo / File

Simon Bridges recently lambasted Environment Minister David Parker in what is perhaps the worst floundering and platitude-filled interview I have ever seen.

The only real criticism the National leader had (and repeated in case someone missed it the first 10 times) was that there was "no plan".

I think Bridges meant this literally – that Parker had no physical paper he waved around when suggesting farmers may have to reduce herd numbers to meet new nitrogen limits. That detail is being picked up by councils.

It is common knowledge that cow numbers are the primary cause of pollution – freshwater and ecology scientists like Professor Russel Death (ironically cool name) and Professor Mike Joy have made this abundantly clear and very publicly.

So have Federated Farmers and a ton of other environmentally conscious organisations and farmers.

Bridges might have some salvation in the fact there is no detailed step-by-step plan; but only if you isolate this offhand warning by Parker with everything else the Government is doing.

For Bridges to come on radio and say we have no plan is ludicrous - we have a zero-carbon act combined with a climate commissions on the way.

We have a green investment bank and sustainable farming fund in the mix.

A Westpac report that we could save over $30 billion transitioning to clean energy and mitigating climate change if we act now, with substantial costs later if we do not.

I wrote about how economic green energy is compared to fossil fuels a brief time ago. I'm excited to see the vision and follow-through of green investment.

Not coincidentally, the Green Party has been a driver in nearly all the environmental policy we see with Labour as the Government which is implementing it

I consider myself a very rational person and make a point of considering the views of people I normally disagree with. It's gotten me in trouble a few times. However, I'm unshakeable when it comes to the environment.

We need a considered but also very quick response to the ecology crises we face today.

Nutrient level caps and banning offshore oil and gas permits are just the beginning of a much-needed transition. Regional and local councils are planning this for us, with community input.

A great example is the TANK initiative in Hawke's Bay that communicates with farmers and other stakeholders about plan changes to ease the burden of rapid structural change.
Localised planning with government directives is always better than the top-down centralisation Bridges demands, or even playing politics with farmers who want hand-outs (read: irrigation subsidies) that continue the status quo of environmental degradation.

Enabling and incentivising intensive dairying in areas like the Mackenzie Basin has left a deficit of conservation land and are only deepening dependency on unsustainable farming and pitting people against each other. That's a legacy I would not be proud of.

Sectors have been aware of the inevitable transition for a long time and some of the farming community are doing great things on their own already.

We should support them. Taranaki is gaining an additional $20 million to help alternative industry growth alongside the removal of new oil permits – we are doing the same with farmers.

Despite agriculture easily being our largest polluters, it's not a war on farmers – it's about giving farmers (many of whom I've met are environmentalists) the opportunity to help themselves. And urban folk should not get off easily too.

Many of our most polluted rivers are in urban centres, and there are changes to waste and recycling with an enthusiastic Green minister at the helm to alleviate that.

Big changes will not be easy considering our dependency on agriculture, but it's not economically feasible to put all our eggs in one basket anyway.

I'm not denying there will be pain involved, but it's the role of Government to ensure the well-being of future generations and our planet. It's its responsibility to ensure provisions are made and support given to appropriate sectors during this transition.

The only thing I agree with Bridges in this interview is that this Government is "value lead" - and I would rather have values which lead to a sustainable future than bureaucratic managers who sit around inhibited by politics while the world burns, our rivers become more polluted and our natural habitats destroyed.

National is happy to criticise Labour on a lack of detail on one policy; I'm happy to criticise National on a lack of leadership for an entire country.

* Damon Rusden was the Green Party candidate for the Napier seat in the 2017 general election.