Greens Lambast Govt For “Abandoning” Carbon-Neutral And Sustainability Goals
June 4th, 2008
• Budget ignores carbon neutral aim.
• Sustainability no longer fashionable?
• Cullen insists Govt still committed.
Is the Govt trying to quietly back away from its goal to make NZ carbon neutral and the world’s first truly sustainable country? The Green Party seems to think so, judging by the lack of any mention of carbon neutrality in either the Budget or in Michael Cullen’s subsequent Budget speech. In Parliament last Thursday Fitzsimons lambasted the Govt’s recent environmental track record, questioning whether it still aspires to the carbon neutrality goal, which PM Helen Clark outlined in her statement to the House in February 2007.
Fitzsimons points out the Govt’s contribution to sustainability has essentially been policies put forward by the Green Party. She questions how the PM can continue to say she is committed to carbon neutrality, when the Govt has further delayed the entry into the Emissions Trading Scheme of farmers, transport and coal emissions. Fitzsimons notes last year the PM described sustainability and climate change as the compelling issues of our times. She suggests the Govt’s “abandonment” of those issues illustrates it considers this time now to be up and “it is no longer fashionable.”
Fitzsimons adds, how can the PM claim to be committed to sustainability, let alone NZ being the first sustainable nation in the world, when the Department of Conservation has just sacked 60 staff, greenhouse gas emissions have continued to rise, and water quality of NZ rivers and streams is often not safe to swim in, and is getting worse. National’s Nick Smith was quick to pick up on the theme in Parliament, repeating his well-worn argument about how NZ’s emissions have increased at record pace during the last nine years under Labour. Smith suggests it’s not credible for the PM to “maintain the façade of carbon neutrality, and world leadership in sustainability.” He notes 75% of new electricity generation built under Labour has been thermal, resulting in the largest drop in the proportion of renewables of any Govt in NZ history, adding the last four years have seen a massive loss of forest area and the first years of deforestation since records began in 1951.
Dr Cullen, answering in Clark’s absence, insisted the Govt is still committed to carbon neutrality, adding his Budget speech referred on a number of occasions to sustainability issues. Cullen points out the NZ economy has grown faster than almost any other developed world economy since Labour took office, so it’s not surprising emissions have grown. He suggests a certain amount of hypocrisy in Smith’s comments about the amount of thermal generation built under Labour, recalling Gerry Brownlee and others in National Party have regularly advocated building more thermal power stations in the past.
Cullen adds a Govt supporting the Greens’ Waste Minimisation Bill, attempting to pass the Climate Change Bill, has bought back the rail system, in part for environmental reasons, and has a Water Programme of Action, has not abandoned sustainability.
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