Govt's climate change efforts slammed
Political leaders are being urged to take climate change seriously, with a new report slamming the Government's lack of action. Generation Zero yesterday released a 40-page report, A Challenge to Our Leaders: Why New Zealand Needs a Clean Energy Plan , bringing together studies and analysis on climate change and fossil fuel dependence. In it, the group concludes the current Government has "hollowed out or removed" policies aimed at reducing New Zealand's dependence on oil and coal, and has allowed the price of carbon to "crash to near zero". "At present the Government's own figures say we're headed in the wrong direction," lead author and Generation Zero policy spokesman Paul Young said on Firstline this morning. The report argues New Zealand should seek to emulate Denmark, which plans to be entirely powered by renewable sources by 2050. "That sounds like a very ambitious proposition, but they've done the analysis and they believe it's possible for them, and they've got across-the-board political commitment to a plan to make it happen," says Mr Young. "That's really exactly the approach we want to see here in New Zealand to get us moving in the right direction." In contrast, he says our Government's vision is "virtually indistinguishable from 'business-as-usual", despite growing concern about the effects of rising temperatures. The report states that compared to current Government policy, doing nothing at all would only increase carbon emissions by 0.4 percent by 2030. And though most of our electricity now comes from renewable sources, more needs to be done. "New Zealand's got a proud history of renewable energy, and it's something that is a big advantage for us. But in terms of energy it's important to note that it's more than just electricity; we're talking about transport and the energy that we're using in industries, and there's a lot more that we could be doing there," says Mr Young. "We need a comprehensive plan that's going to tackle all of those areas; that's what Denmark has and we are lacking." Climate Change Minister Tim Groser says New Zealand is committed to meeting its obligations under the Kyoto Protocol, but that some of the negative effects of climate change "can't be avoided" and adaptation is important. The full report can be found on the Generation Zero website . 3 News source: newshub archive