FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE 18 October 2007

Industry group’s call justifies need for Royal Commission on climate and energy

The major business groups whose open letter to the Prime Minister criticised the Government’s Energy Trading Scheme (ETS) should take the further step of insisting on a Royal Commission to inquire into the validity of the scientific justification for the whole raft of current climate policies.

This comment today from Owen McShane, chairman of the policy panel of the New Zealand Climate Science Coalition, following yesterday’s announcement of the open letter from an industry group comprising Federated Farmers, the Greenhouse Policy Coalition (which includes Comalco, NZ Steel, Solid Energy, and pulp and paper companies), the Business Roundtable, the Road Transport Forum, the Wood Processors Association, Major Electricity Users Group, Business NZ, New Zealand Chambers of Commerce, and petroleum drilling companies.

The industry group’s letter said: “The scheme being proposed goes well beyond any other in the world. The economic impacts on New Zealand have the potential to be very costly for very little environmental gain.” Mr McShane said the Climate Science Coalition seemed to be a “voice in the wilderness” when, in July last year, it sent an open letter to all members of Parliament urging a Royal Commission to examine the validity of claims about global warming and its effect on New Zealand.

“We said then that on climate issues, notwithstanding that recent weather had been the very antithesis of global warming, New Zealand has got itself into a state of emotionally charged confusion with acceptance of misinformation very similar to that of the late 1990’s about genetic modification. The GM matter was clarified only after a searching independent examination of all the issues by a Royal Commission.

“Our coalition of climate scientists, economists, energy and policy consultants believe that New Zealand now needs a Royal Commission to sort out climate issues as they affect this country; to propose a rational and practical path for the Government to follow.” Mr McShane that this latest call from such an influential group of leading industry bodies, representing the full spectrum of economic life in New Zealand re-emphasised the need for a full and independent examination of all the issues generated by the climate debate, not just our future energy supply, or the restrictions of traditional New Zealand lifestyle values, or the financial burdens implicit in so-called carbon trading, but whether there is valid scientific and meteorological evidence that variation in climate behaviour is anything other than what is dictated by well recorded natural solar cycles.

“It’s time New Zealanders got past the emotional and political claptrap that have dominated this debate so far, and looked at the solid scientific evidence. So far there is none that justifies the social and economic upheavals that this Government is proposing,” said Mr McShane.

Ends

© Scoop Media