Lack of government action on climate change puts New Zealand at risk 

New Zealand needs to step up, and commit to real action on climate change at the UN climate change negotiations being held this week or put at risk the country’s international reputation, said WWF today.

The United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change negotiations are taking place in Warsaw this week and are aimed at progressing an international framework for addressing this global problem.

“This Government has a poor recent record on climate change after further weakening the ETS, refusing to sign up to the second period of the Kyoto Protocol and setting a weak voluntary 2020 emissions reduction target. 

“With the recent release of Ministry for the Environment projections showing emissions will continue to rise under current policies, this country’s reputation on climate change is at an all time low," said Peter Hardstaff, WWF-NZ Head of Campaigns.

“This lack of action not only contributes to putting the climate at risk, it also puts at risk our clean, green reputation and the respect other countries have for New Zealand in the negotiations. 

“Stopping the worst of climate change can still be achieved but the world needs action and it needs it now. The good news is that a clean energy future for New Zealand is 100% possible. 

“We can do it if we set the right policies in place to kick start the transition towards a low carbon economy. The Government needs to rethink its approach to energy and climate policy, and start doing its fair share." 

Notes:

In the run up to the 2012 UN climate change conference in Doha, the New Zealand government announced it would not be making a legally binding commitment in the second period of the Kyoto Protocol.

New Zealand’s 2020 emissions reduction target is a 5% reduction in net emissions below 1990 
gross emissions levels. The cabinet paper advocating the 5% target sets out how this can be achieved by using up the ‘surplus’ New Zealand has after the first period of Kyoto and purchasing credits on the international market rather than actually reducing New Zealand’s emissions.

Although the New Zealand government has a 2050 target of reducing net emissions to 50% below 1990 gross emissions levels, the most recent Ministry for the Environment projections show that, under current policies, by 2040 New Zealand’s net emissions will be 50% higher than 1990 levels, which would make the task of achieving the target virtually impossible. For details of report see - Ministry for the Environment Annual Report 2013 – Page 60 at http://www.mfe.govt.nz/publications/about/annual-report/2012-2013/annual-report-2013.pdf

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