Pinned
Humanity Moves Into ‘Unknown” as Warming Earth Transgresses Planetary Boundaries
Peter Byard Davis
17.9K posts
Peter Byard Davis
@PeterByardDavis
Ex-prof, recovering workaholic, quiz kid. Social democrat, humanist, policy wonk. RNZ/BBC/Guardian, NS/Economist/FT. Culture vulture, birder, X-c skier. Travels
- "Dame Jacinda Ardern to be given United Nations leadership award". As the biblical saying goes: ''a prophet is not without honour except in their own country'. The level of hate, vitriol directed by some at this outstanding person is beyond comprehension.
- Something wrong here. We are being told by media, commentators & critics NZ is something akin to an economic "basket case", with responsibility often attributed to a govt struggling in the polls. Yet we are in top ten internationally on prosperity. Doesn't add up. #misinformationProsperity Index 2023 Top 10 Countries Denmark🇩🇰🥇 Sweden🇸🇪🥈 Norway🇳🇴🥉 Finland🇫🇮 Switzerland🇨🇭 Netherlands🇳🇱 Luxembourg🇱🇺 Iceland🇮🇸 Germany🇩🇪 New Zealand🇳🇿 @legatuminst
- Replying to @EconomyInformalGlobal Organized Crime Index 2021 12. Turkey🇹🇷 18. Venezuela🇻🇪 19. South Africa🇿🇦 22. Brazil🇧🇷 25. Indonesia🇮🇩 29. Pakistan🇵🇰 32. Russia🇷🇺 41. China🇨🇳 53. Italy🇮🇹 55. Spain🇪🇸 59. France🇫🇷 64. India🇮🇳 66. USA🇺🇸 99. UK🇬🇧 118. Japan🇯🇵 125. Argentina🇦🇷 145. Australia🇦🇺 161. Canada🇨🇦
- NZ almost only developed country currently free (for nearly a month) of community transmission of COVID - and yet media (and the opposition) narrative is this is failing strategy because of some (quickly fixed) missteps in border control. #MediaNarrative scoop.co.nz/stories/HL2006…
- "Counting the true toll of the Covid-19 pandemic in New Zealand". NZ excess mortality 0-2%, while it was 10% in UK & 11% in US. The elimination strategy & border controls allowed NZers to vaccinate, thus helping to keep the pandemic toll down till 2024. thespinoff.co.nz/society/14-07-…
- A vociferous segment of opinion argues NZ was unduly restrictive under Covid. Yes, NZ's restrictions were rigorous, but (apart from border controls) they did not last long. According to Blavatnik measure of restrictiveness, NZ was among lowest - & that also applied in education.During the #Covid19 pandemic, New Zealand students lost fewer days of school than kids in almost any other country – including Sweden – the Royal Commission found.
- A Waihi Beach birthday bash with 70 assorted family, neighbours & supporters, & former political colleagues, for @HelenClarkNZ at 70 and her father at 98. Given the near-drought conditions, no candles allowed. Stylish cartoon by a top practitioner of the art honours the occasion!
- According to election commentary there is a crisis in NZ education that needs radical reform. And yet, according to PISA (OECD standard education performance measure), we were in the top ten for reading, mathematics & science pre-Covid. But don't let a few facts spoil fun debate!PISA 2018 Performance in Reading, Mathematics and Science Top 10 Countries Estonia🇪🇪🥇 Canada🇨🇦🥈 Finland🇫🇮🥉 Ireland🇮🇪 Korea🇰🇷 Poland🇵🇱 Sweden🇸🇪 New Zealand🇳🇿 United States🇺🇸 United Kingdom🇬🇧 @OECD
- It's a clever dishonesty - using the cover of safety to actually make the community less safe. We are dealing with some utterly unscrupulous and dishonest people. In half a century of following NZ politics I am not sure I have come across this degree of dissimulation before!
- "NZ’s economy is not underperforming by accident". This is almost the only serious coverage I have seen on the IMF report and its implications for New Zealand growth and development. We are backing low-productivity, extractive and property industries.
- This analysis of the ex-UK PM's performance identifies 10 failures - which NZ mostly avoided. It concludes: no individual has the fortitude to lead the response to a national disaster continuously for over 2 years. Yet, Jacinda Ardern did, and earned almost no credit for it.Richard Horton's latest Offline: Boris Johnson and COVID-19—more light than heat hubs.li/Q02d7XBJ0
- New Zealand is in top ten for Reading, Mathematics & Science according to international PISA educational survey (for 2018). But judging by the strong media and lobby narrative in this area about our failed and failing system, you would think we were in the bottom ten! #educationPISA 2018 Performance in Reading, Mathematics and Science Top 5 Countries Estonia🇪🇪 Canada🇨🇦 Finland🇫🇮 Ireland🇮🇪 Korea🇰🇷 Bottom 5 Countries Colombia🇨🇴 Mexico🇲🇽 Chile🇨🇱 Greece🇬🇷 Slovakia🇸🇰 @OECD
- How can this be? According to media & political discourse, & private school critics, NZ has a failing educational system. Yet according to the PISA survey we are 7th. at Science Performance, above Germany, USA etc. But why spoil a good story with a few facts? #EducationMattersScience Performance (PISA) Estonia🇪🇪: 530 Japan🇯🇵: 529 Finland🇫🇮: 522 Korea🇰🇷: 519 Canada🇨🇦: 518 Poland🇵🇱: 511 NZ🇳🇿: 508 UK🇬🇧: 505 Germany🇩🇪: 503 USA🇺🇸: 502 Ireland🇮🇪: 496 France🇫🇷: 493 Spain🇪🇸: 483 Türkiye🇹🇷: 468 Greece🇬🇷: 452 Chile🇨🇱: 444 Mexico🇲🇽: 419 Colombia🇨🇴: 413 @OECD
