Our office in New Zealand has turned their hands to extreme gardening. The island nation is well known for its burgeoning agricultural industry and now the government is converting 25,000 hectares of forest into large-scale intensive dairy farms.

They are currently clearing in Tahorakuri forest on the central north island and the Ministry for Agriculture and Forestry estimates that 445,000 hectares of forest are at risk of being destroyed and converted primarily for dairy farms. So our office there got their spades out.

Our colleagues have been leaked information from a meeting in Bali tonight – the US is trying to destroy international efforts to tackle climate change. They are trying to insert text into the Kyoto Protocol that would make emissions cuts voluntary – as opposed to the current mandatory cuts.

The proposed US text includes the words ‘as appropriate’ and ‘may’ in reference to emissions cuts and is being presented to a meeting of the Friends of the President in Bali tonight. Here it is: