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MfE briefing highlights urgent need for Climate Change Act
Wednesday 12 November 2014
FOR IMMEDIATE
RELEASE
MfE briefing highlights urgent need
for Climate Change Act
New greenhouse gas
emissions projections revealed today in the Ministry for the
Environment’s Briefing to the Incoming Ministers highlight
the need for a Climate Change Act with legally binding
carbon budgets, says youth climate change organisation
Generation Zero.
The projections show that under
current policy settings, New Zealand’s annual net
emissions (including forestry) will rise rapidly to over 100
million tonnes of CO2 equivalent by 2025; an increase of
more than 50% above 1990 levels. This is at odds with the
Government’s own unconditional emissions targets of 5%
below 1990 levels by 2020, and 50% below 1990 levels by
2050.
“These latest figures and warnings from the
Ministry for the Environment show once again that the
Government has no plan to reduce New Zealand’s carbon
pollution,” says Generation Zero policy spokesperson Paul
Young.
“Despite the increasingly stark warnings from
climate scientists and the promises to do our fair share,
it’s all talk and no action. Not only is this morally
reprehensible, it is economically dumb and it will cost
us.”
“To fix this, New Zealand needs a piece of
legislation based on the UK’s Climate Change Act, which
has been successful in setting the country on track to meet
its strong target of reducing emissions to 80% below 1990
levels by 2050.”
The Climate Change Act requires
that the government set legally binding carbon budgets and
produce plans showing how these will be met, and establishes
an independent Climate Commission to provide expert advice
and hold the government to account.
Mr Young: “A
Climate Change Act would deliver on the Ministry for the
Environment’s recommendations to ‘[develop] a plan for a
low-carbon scenario world in line with our 2050 target’
and ‘develop a stable and enduring policy setting that
enables New Zealand to become a successful low-carbon
society’.”
“The Government needs to act on this
advice from its officials and start work immediately
developing a New Zealand Climate Change
Act.”
Generation Zero presented the case for a
Climate Change Act in its report The Big Ask: One Key Step for Real Climate
Action released earlier this year.
Click for big version.
ENDS
For
interviews please contact Paul Young: 027 4188841 / paul@generationzero.org.nz
Ministry
for the Environment’s briefing:
See pages
21-23 http://www.mfe.govt.nz/sites/default/files/media/About/environment-bim-final.pdf
Generation
Zero’s reports:
The Big Ask: One Key Step
for Real Climate Action (July 2014) http://www.generationzero.org/thebigask
A Challenge to Our LEaders: Why New Zealand Needs a
Clean Energy Plan (May 2014) http://www.genzero.org.nz/challengetoourleaders.pdf
About Generation Zero
Generation
Zero is a non-partisan, nationwide group of young New
Zealanders founded in 2011 to advance solutions to climate
change and help put New Zealand on track towards a zero
carbon future. www.generationzero.org.nz
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