An historic meeting for climate change and health – New Zealand Climate and Health Council

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Today members of 18 leading health professional organisations met with the Minister for Climate Change, Hon. James Shaw, to add their collective voices of support for a strong Zero Carbon Act.

The meeting, hosted by the Royal Australasian College of Surgeons, included organisations representing tens of thousands of nurses, doctors and other health professionals. Attendees were united in their call for decisive action on climate change to protect and improve health and fairness for New Zealanders.

“There is a strong consensus among health professionals that NZ needs a robust law to get to net zero greenhouse gas emissions,” says Dr Rhys Jones, co-convenor of OraTaiao, the NZ Climate & Health Council.

“A Zero Carbon Act will need to set targets and action that are fast, fair, firm and founded on Te Tiriti o Waitangi. Three decades of sitting on our hands means we now need to face the reality that all sectors must play their part in responding to the climate crisis. We need to reach net zero for all our greenhouse gas emissions by 2040.”

“Importantly, we also know that well-designed climate action can create better health and a fairer society now and in future. Energy efficient homes can be warmer, drier and more affordable; low carbon transport can make it easy to be more active and clear the air; and shifting towards a plant-based food system can reduce cancer and address our freshwater crisis.”

“According to the World Health Organization, climate change is the defining health issue of the 21st century. The Zero Carbon Bill is a crucial piece of legislation for health, because it’s a huge opportunity to improve health and build a fairer society through well designed climate action.”

“For our health’s sake, the Climate Commission has to set emissions budgets that rapidly reduce NZ’s domestic carbon, nitrous oxide and methane emissions, starting immediately,” says Dr Jones.

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The Zero Carbon Bill consultation ends 5pm Thursday 19 July.

1 COMMENT

  1. Good article.

    When I placed a verbal submission to the Zero Carbon roadshow panel two weeks ago in Napier, I spoke about the widespread emmissions of tyre particulates as they are made from plastic ingredients also and are cancer causing annd are now found on the icecaps carried accooss the oceans also to cause the ice caps to melt due to the black carbon attracting heat from the sun.

    The climate change panel was astounded at this and confessed they had not considered that synthetic tyres were even a hazard!!!!

    Any chemical engineer will know that synthetic tyres are made from a solutiion of all types of ingredients that contain plastics, so we need now to add tyre use to the list of toxic chemicals that are destroying our environment. -Synthetic rubber (SBR – styreneised polyisobutylene)

    http://rcaforum.org.nz/sites/public_files/documents/stormwateremissionfactors.pdf

    Based upon the available data, Table 4.14 provides a summary of median or selected concentration data for key organic compounds in tyres.

    To provide more suitable data to assess emissions of organic contaminants from this source additional information and refinement of data is required as identified above in Section 4.4.2 and below in Section 4.4.4. Table 4.14 – Summary of concentrations of selected organic compounds in tyres for use in calculating emission loads (all concentrations mg/kg). Compound Median tyre concentration COPC Benzothiazole 44.7* Pyrene 42.6* Polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons 226.1** Chlorinated organics 5.3** Others n-Alkanes 18842** n-Alkanoic acids 12197** n-Alkenoic acids 1279** Substituted benzaldehydes 7.8** Benzoic acids 74.8** Polycyclic aromatic ketones and quinones 0.45** Pentacyclic triterpanes 684** Benzaldehydes 19.04** Natural resins 9513** Regular steranes 74.2** Amide (4-phenylbenzamine) 12.9** Note: * From Gadd & Kennedy (2000); ** from Rogge et al. (1993).

    The composition of tyres is dominated by organic compounds, with a wide variety of compounds used in the manufacture of tyres.
    Table 4.6: – General composition of tyres. Main element Use Example compounds Content Polymer base Structure Natural rubber (polyisoprene) Synthetic rubber (SBR – styreneised polyisobutylene) 30% (ratio between 60:40 and 70:30 synthetic: natural rubber) Carbon black Reinforcement, provides stiffness, strength and hardness. Carbon black of various particle sizes 30 Hydrocarbon oil Processing aid/softening agent Paraffinic, naphthenic or aromatic oil 10-15 Resins Processing aids Aromatic hydrocarbon polymer Thermoplastic phenol-novolac resin 0 – 7% Antidegradants Anitoxidants and antiozonants Paraffin wax Quinolines Phenyldiamines 1 – 1.5% Cure activators Assist in curing Zinc oxide/stearic acid mix 2.0 – 2.5% Cure agent Assist in curing Elemental sulphur 1.0 – 1.5% Accelerators Promote curing Complex amines Sulphonamides Thiazoles 1.5% Retarders Slow the curing rate Acids or phthalates 0.1% Bonding agent Improve bond strength between tyre and steel/cord belt Resorcinol resin Bracing Steel (sometimes coated in brass)
    There have been a number of studies investigating the inorganic composition of vehicle tyres, including a major study by Environment Agency in the UK (Environment Agency 1998). This study reports the presence of major elements such as calcium (calcium oxide used as a desiccant), magnesium (magnesium oxide used as an accelerant), silica and phosphates (used in fillers and plasticisers).

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