Govt needs to walk the talk on climate deal

The Government's announcement that it will ratify the Paris climate agreement this year is a small victory for the tens-of-thousands of people who marched for stronger action on climate change in December, the Green Party said today.

“It's a small step in the right direction from this Government, and is significantly better than its original plan to wait five years before ratifying the Paris agreement," said Green Party Co-leader James Shaw.

“The climate crisis requires immediate action from all countries and we couldn't afford for the Government to continue stalling on this global agreement.”

The latest greenhouse gas inventory show New Zealand's net greenhouse gas emissions grew by 19 percent since National came to power in 2008.

"National now needs to walk the talk and that will require some significant about-turns on intensive dairying, drilling for oil and gas, and building low-value motorways,” said Mr Shaw.

“Pollution has gotten worse under National, but this can change if they actively support growth in sustainable businesses, well-paying jobs, and a cleaner economy.”

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