Megan Woods
MP for Wigram
Climate Change Spokesperson

MEDIA STATEMENT

19 April 2016

New Zealand must act now

The Government must act urgently on climate change in the wake of the Royal Society’s report released today, says Labour’s Climate Change Spokesperson Megan Woods.

“Amongst other climate related threats, New Zealand is facing a rise in sea levels of between 30 centimetres and 1.1 metres in the next 100 years while the Government continues to sit on its hands.

“The time for action is now. There is no time for further delaying action. The National Government needs to work with other political parties and organisations to develop a plan to reduce our emissions.

“Political partisanship is not the answer to one of the most pressing threats of our time. Paula Bennett is becoming increasingly arrogant. She needs to follow the lead the UK Conservatives have taken on this issue and reach across the political spectrum.

“To date the Government has dillydallied and not taken the imminent threat seriously. I was horrified to learn at a recent select committee hearing that the Government has not taken action to meet with the Parliamentary Commissioner for the Environment to discuss her sensible proposal that the Minister of Finance convene a working group to look at the implications of sea level rise.

“In fact the Commissioner was still trying to find out who to ask at Treasury. This is unacceptable and puts all our futures at risk.

“Today’s report follows in the wake of yesterday’s revelation that New Zealand’s ETS was underpinned by corrupt overseas trading in carbon credits,“ says Megan Woods.

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