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Climate change - Nowhere to Hide
Climate change - Nowhere to Hide
Auckland November 10 2008 - Greenpeace is urging the newly elected National Party not to be held hostage to ACT's Rodney Hide over climate change policy.
"We have a very limited time to turn around this global crisis, and bowing to the demands of a blatant climate denier is not an option," said Greenpeace Climate Change Campaigner Simon Boxer.
"The overwhelming majority of parliament wants strong action on climate change, ACT has no mandate to throw a wrecking ball at climate policy.
"Mr Hide is part of an outmoded pack of climate sceptics whose attitude to climate change is generally viewed with derision.
"If John Key caves in now, it will have massive ramifications, not only for his standing as a leader but also for New Zealand's relationship with trading partners and with consumers overseas who buy our products.
"The world's response to climate change is ramping up and New Zealand must keep pace. The UK has just passed the Climate Bill, and the US has just elected a new president who listed "a planet in peril" as one of his key challenges.
"Obama has gone up in world's estimation because of strong stance on climate change; if he's not careful, Key will suffer the opposite, and New Zealand will lose all credibility on the world stage."
Mr Boxer said John Key had made a pledge to New Zealand to take climate change seriously and he should stick to it.
Greenpeace is calling on the government to set an emissions reduction target of 30 per cent by 2020, and to bring agriculture into the emissions trading scheme before 2013.
ENDS
Greenpeace
Greenpeace exists because this fragile earth deserves a voice.
Greenpeace is an independent global campaigning organisation that acts to change attitudes and behaviour, to protect and conserve the environment and to promote peace.
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