10th April 2007

New Zealand government must fund adaptation to climate change - here and in the Pacific, says WWF

The latest report from the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC) presents a devastating outlook for the world's environment and economy, unless action is taken to slow climate change, says WWF.

Melanie Hutton, climate change campaigner at WWF New Zealand comments on what the IPCC's latest report on Climate Change Impacts, Adaptation and Vulnerability means for New Zealand:

"The New Zealand government is set to release draft climate change policies - this latest report from the IPCC adds further weight and urgency to ensuring those policies are equal to the challenge that faces us. Not only must the policies result in a reduction in greenhouse gas emissions and help New Zealand communities cope with the impacts of climate change, but they must also strengthen our role in assisting our neighbours in the Pacific to adapt to the impacts of climate change that they are already experiencing.

"Relatively, the quantity of greenhouse gas emissions from New Zealand may not seem much at a global level, but New Zealand, like all other developed nations, has a moral imperative to act. WWF is campaigning for the government to act with bold and far reaching initiatives that ensure emission reduction across all sectors, relative to their contribution to our greenhouse gas emissions. We will also be campaigning for the government to provide assistance for communities adapting to climate change here in New Zealand and overseas.

"The OECD environmental performance review for New Zealand released 5th April 2007 revealed New Zealand aid has remained static for a second year at 0.27% of GDP. WWF is calling for the New Zealand government to increase the aid budget and make sure some of this is targeted at helping our close neighbours adapt to climate change.

"The IPCC experts state clearly that some impacts from climate change are already unavoidable: but there is still time to take positive action in the hope that this will avoid some of the most catastrophic effects. This response must come as part of a broad and rapid change of development strategies, looking to significantly reduce greenhouse gas emissions."

This current report builds upon the IPCC's first Working Group report released in February 2007 which revealed that the world has already warmed by over 0.7°C and is locked into at least another 0.5°C warming - and this is '90% likely' to be caused by humans. WWF stresses the need for countries to keep global average temperatures below the dangerous 2° C rise compared to pre-industrial times.

For more information on what you can do about climate change, visit http://www.panda.org/presspack/climate

ENDS

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