25 June 2007

Business dinosaurs still in denial about our Kyoto commitments

The Green Party has rejected the latest round of calls for delay from Business New Zealand about the nation's response to climate change, and has criticised the business lobby's readiness to let the taxpayer pick up the compliance tab for our Kyoto commitments.

"Business New Zealand is part of the Greenhouse Policy Coalition. Every suggestion on how we should confront our greenhouse emissions has been opposed by the Coalition. They advocate delay, delay - and want the Government to do nothing substantial just yet about setting up a workable carbon trading system," Green Party Co-Leader Jeanette Fitzsimons says.

"If Business New Zealand is advocating delay in the hope this will take its members through until the election of a National government more amenable to their interests, they should think again. Even National is now talking about an effective carbon trading system. Politically, there is nowhere left for the likes of Business New Zealand to go.

"It will take time to get the details of the carbon trading system finalised. That is why the Greens have offered a coherent and comprehensive framework of measures to reward and incentivise those firms that cut their emissions. These policies could readily be adopted in the interim. What we cannot afford to do is delay, and let still more years elapse before we get around to establishing a price on carbon, " Ms Fitzsimons says.

"Business New Zealand is, in effect, advocating the Australian strategy - which is to do nothing until 2012. Yet that point marks the end of the first Kyoto period - when this country will have to pay for its excess emissions, by buying credits to reduce them.

"The dinosaurs in the business sector seem happy to let ordinary citizens pick up the tab in 2012 for the failures of business. Instead, the Greens believe that those who use carbon fuels should be the ones that pay the price - because they alone have the power to alter their behaviours now in ways that will affect the bill that taxpayers will face later.

"The dinosaur business lobbies are ignoring those modern businesses in their midst that do recognize climate change is a threat to the old practices of business as usual. Modern firms see that our current rates of emissions are unsustainable, and require a speedy and innovative response from business.

"New Zealand can hardly be said to be rushing into a carbon trading system. The Government has had years to work out the details of its response, before and after it decided to abandon the carbon tax

"Business New Zealand would do well to drop the negativity and the delaying tactics, and start to make a positive contribution to the way New Zealand responds to climate change," Ms Fitzsimons says.

ENDS

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