Government’s record on climate change under fire
Megan Woods
MP for Wigram
Climate Change
Spokesperson
27 April 2016
Government’s record on climate change under fire
The Royal Society’s latest report on climate change has made it clear that it believes the Government’s current approach to climate change is inadequate, says Labour’s spokesperson on Climate Change Megan Woods.
“The report, ‘Transition to a low-carbon economy for New Zealand’ is clear we can and must do more. It provides a blue-print for making the changes we need to make. One of the central recommendations is that the Government should set up an independent monitoring and advisory committee. This lies at the heart of Labour’s proposed independent climate commission.
“At the moment we lack anyone who can take the responsibility for coordinating our climate change activities across all sectors. A climate commission would start to provide the answers.
“It’s also wonderful to see a report that talks about the savings and benefits that a low-carbon economy will bring. This is a great counterpoint to the Government’s increasingly arrogant and outdated rhetoric about the costs of tackling climate change.
“Labour’s ‘Future of Work’ programme is part of the answer to a transition into such an economy.
“The report makes it clear that we can reach a target of 90 per cent renewable electricity. They argue that this is possible if we have a more flexible grid, energy storage and back-up generation.
“This is an encouraging evidence-based report that lays out a clear pathway for New Zealand’s response to climate change. The Government needs to embrace this document as we must change course now,” says Megan Woods.
ends