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Practical Alternatives To Kyoto Needed

New Zealand and the world need practical alternative energy sources and measures to reduce pollution and waste, rather than costly and ineffective treaties such as Kyoto, says Democrats for Social Credit Environment spokesman Richard Prosser.

“Kyoto is a red herring which won’t do anything for the environment, but it will cost us billions of dollars and stifle economic development,” said Mr Prosser. “Many scientists believe that Kyoto is based on science which is incorrect and theory which is back to front, and nations paying each other for the right to carry on polluting, won’t change any of that, or help the earth,” he said.

“What we need are clean practical alternatives, rather than worrying about discredited greenhouse theories or scaremongering over peak oil,” Mr Prosser said.

Biofuels such as bioethanol and biomethanol could be made from dairy and forestry industry wastes, or from crops such as sugarbeet, and biodiesel could be made from rapeseed oil, said Mr Prosser.

“These fuels can supplement mineral oil as we progress towards the hydrogen economy,” Mr Prosser said. “Methane digesters for sewerage and farm effluent offer yet another form of energy from waste - and polluting waste, at that.”

Mr Prosser said that a quarter of New Zealand’s electricity generation, and half the average domestic power bill, went on hot water heating.

“Democrats for Social Credit policy is to require every non-exempted building to be fitted with direct solar water heating,” he said. “If we can cut that consumption in half, we reduce the need for further hydro and thermal power development.”

International trading in carbon credits would do nothing for the environment, Mr Prosser believed. “They’re an artificial response to a non-existent problem,”he said. “We will achieve much more for our planet and our economy by developing clean alternatives than by taking money from European countries to allow them to keep burning oil.”

ENDS

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