Green Party in climate change denial

5 November 2008

Green Party in climate change denial

“The Green Party just does not get the reality of global climate change,”Federated Farmers climate change spokesperson, Frank Brenmuhl said today.

Federated Farmers makes this claim following yesterday’s launch of its Manifesto in Wellington, attended by Green Party Co-Leader, Dr. Russel Norman MP. At the launch it was evident that Dr. Norman was unrealistic on the realities facing New Zealand’s farming sector. The Green Party shows no regard for the impact its myopic and nationalistic policies will have on global emissions.

“The Green Party seems to think climate change begins and ends with New Zealand. Their policies will be a disaster for a wider world, our economy and our children.

“Climate change is a global issue needing global solutions. New Zealand’s farmers understand that. Our farmers are the world’s most efficient producers of food which is how we can feed almost one percent of the world’s people but generate only 0.1% of emissions.

“800 million people, right now, live in food poverty and global food reserves are down to just 35 days. With 80 million new mouths being born each year our world needs the most carbon efficient producers of food, like New Zealand, to be at the best and not kneecapped,” Mr Brenmuhl said.

The Federation is alarmed the Green Party, along with the Labour Party, New Zealand First and Progressives, do not understand New Zealand is gifted at producing food with the lowest carbon footprint. As New Zealand is the only country on earth to include farm animals in an Emission Trading Scheme, a lot of our farms will become uneconomic. The graduated reduction in New Zealand’s agricultural output to meet emission targets will simply shift production to less efficient countries. What may reduce New Zealand’s emissions on one hand will be worse for the world.

“New Zealand is in a minority of one by including farm animals in an Emissions Trading Scheme when China, Brazil, Indonesia, Russia, the European Union and every other country on earth is not. Why isn’t Dr Norman campaigning outside the embassies of those countries? Is this an inconvenient truth?

“If the Green Party, Labour Party, New Zealand First and Progressives truly care about global emissions they must exempt food production from the New Zealand Emissions Trading Scheme. There is no choice unless those parties wish to be mute witness to an environmental and economic travesty.

“We know emissions are not out of sight so this topic should definitely not be out of mind. We call on all politicians to think and act globally on emissions by exempting New Zealand food production from the Emission Trading Scheme in the next Parliament,” Mr Brenmuhl concluded.

ENDS

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