Labour’s climate announcement is a cop-out – Greenpeace
Greenpeace says the Labour Party is copping out of tackling the climate crisis, following Chris Hipkins’ announcement that if elected, Labour would accelerate climate action by reviewing the ETS (but allow agriculture to remain out of it), and recommitting to the Paris Agreement.
Greenpeace Programme Director Niamh O’Flynn says, “The impacts of climate change are real and tangible, like Cyclone Gabrielle, and the floods, storms and extreme weather we’ve seen all over the country. Climate action must also be real and tangible to combat this crisis.”
“We’ve spent the last three years watching the Coalition Government systematically destroy every climate policy under the sun. For Labour to offer this as an alternative is pretty bleak.”
O’Flynn says, “A review of the ETS is not climate action. Committing to the Paris Agreement was done more than ten years ago in Paris – to make this statement now isn’t climate action.
“Climate action means stopping climate pollution from the sector that is responsible for more than half of our emissions, industrial agriculture. It means phasing out synthetic nitrogen fertiliser. And an emissions trading scheme that doesn’t even include the bulk of New Zealand’s emissions is a joke.
“Hipkins is dreaming if he thinks Labour can work with the dairy industry to reduce emissions without regulating it. Last year Fonterra’s emissions increased. This is an industry that has fought tooth and nail to continue to freely pollute our water and climate with no consequences or costs.
“Major climate polluters will never regulate themselves – which is why it’s an important role of the Government. And Labour is copping out.”
Last week, a UN report revealed that the world is set to breach the critical 1.5℃ global warming threshold. Staying below 1.5℃ of warming has long been considered necessary to avoid climate breakdown. O’Flynn says that in the light of this revelation, Labour’s announcement yesterday looks even worse.
“We should be in crisis management mode now. New Zealanders and the world need better than a recommitment to a decade-old climate agreement without policy that will actively lower emissions.”
“This is a regressive announcement from the party that once claimed that climate change was a ‘nuclear free moment’. If Labour hopes to form the next government, they need to do better.”
Come on, Labour, you must do better with your Climate Policy than what you are planning? Yes, it’s better than what the CoC is proposing but it doesn’t go far enough! NZ needs to decide whether the cost to stay in the Paris Agreement, which is primarily to protect an export-driven economy while balancing financial compliance costs against trade and dipomatic risks, is worth it. However, leaving it could result in sanctions or blocked exports under FTA’s with the UK and EU, as well as brand damage and global isolation. NZ has had more than a glimpse of what is to come – cyclone Gabrielle, floods, storms, slips etc. so can’t pretend it away! Labour, in fact NZ, should be attacking the problem at Dairy Industry level where there are few controls in place to reduce emissions, water pollution and the phasing out of synthetic nitrogen fertiliser. We need an emissions levy or tax. Our Dairy Industry needs to become more responsible and proactive, and sort this quickly.