Scoop has an Ethical Paywall
Work smarter with a Pro licence Learn More

Gordon Campbell | Parliament TV | Parliament Today | News Video | Crime | Employers | Housing | Immigration | Legal | Local Govt. | Maori | Welfare | Unions | Youth | Search

 

COP24 ends without firm promises to raise climate action

COP24 ends without firm promises to raise climate action

Source: Greenpeace

--

Sunday, December 16: Just two months after the UN’s Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC) warned we have 12 years left to save the world, COP24 ended with no clear promise of enhanced climate action.

COP24 led to an approved Paris Agreement rulebook, but no clear collective commitment to enhance climate action targets.

Greenpeace International Executive Director, Jennifer Morgan attended the climate summit in Katowice, Poland.

"A year of climate disasters and a dire warning from the world’s top scientists should have led to so much more," she says.

"Instead, governments let people down again as they ignored the science and the plight of the vulnerable. Recognising the urgency of raised ambition and adopting a set of rules for climate action is not nearly enough when whole nations face extinction."

Last week, Morgan called on New Zealand to be more vocal at COP24 and separate itself out from positions of the umbrella group, which includes Australia, Japan, Russia, Ukraine, Canada, the US and Norway.

Greenpeace New Zealand Executive Director, Dr Russel Norman, says despite the lack of firm commitment coming from COP24, New Zealand must get on with the job.

"There is no time to waste. We’re on track for a three or four degree temperature rise, which would cause mass extinctions and the displacement of tens of millions of people," he says.

Advertisement - scroll to continue reading

Are you getting our free newsletter?

Subscribe to Scoop’s 'The Catch Up' our free weekly newsletter sent to your inbox every Monday with stories from across our network.

"Real climate action in New Zealand means addressing the giant cow in the room. Agriculture has to be brought into the Emissions Trading Scheme, synthetic nitrogen fertiliser must be banned, cow numbers must be reduced, and there must be a massive Government-led investment in regenerative farming.

"New Zealand was celebrated internationally for becoming one of the first countries in the world to ban new oil and gas exploration permits. Now we need to double down on that with serious investment in clean energy to replace fossil fuels."

Greenpeace is calling on the Government to stop subsidising the oil industry and instead offer over 500,000 interest-free loans to New Zealand households to install solar panels and batteries over the next ten years.

"Enabling half a million Kiwi homes to convert to solar could contribute 1.5 GW of new clean power and 3 GW of grid-stabilising battery storage to New Zealand’s electricity grid in the next decade," Norman says.

ENDS


© Scoop Media

 
 
 
Parliament Headlines | Politics Headlines | Regional Headlines



Gordon Campbell: On Dune 2, And Images Of Islam


Depictions of Islam in Western popular culture have rarely been positive, even before 9/11. Five years on from the mosque shootings, this is one of the cultural headwinds that the Muslim community has to battle against. Whatever messages of tolerance and inclusion are offered in daylight, much of our culture tends to be hostile to Islam when we’re sitting in the dark, with popcorn.
Any number of movie examples come to mind, beginning with Rudolf Valentino’s role (over a century ago) as the romantic Arab hero in The Sheik...
More


 
 


Government: One-stop Shop Major Projects On The Fast Track

The Coalition Government’s new one-stop-shop fast track consenting regime for regional and national projects of significance will cut red tape and make it easier for New Zealand to build the infrastructure and major projects needed to get the country moving again... More

ALSO:


Government: GPS 2024: Over $20 Billion To Get Transport Back On Track
Transport Minister Simeon Brown has released the draft Government Policy Statement (GPS) on Land Transport, outlining the Coalition Government’s plan to build and maintain a transport system that enables people to get to where they need to go quickly and safely... More

ALSO:

Government: Humanitarian Support For Gaza & West Bank

Winston Peters has announced NZ is providing a further $5M to respond to the extreme humanitarian need in Gaza and the West Bank. “The impact of the Israel-Hamas conflict on civilians is absolutely appalling," he said... More


Government: New High Court Judge Appointed

Judith Collins has announced the appointment of Wellington Barrister Jason Scott McHerron as a High Court Judge. Justice McHerron graduated from the University of Otago with a BA in English Literature in 1994 and an LLB in 1996... More

 
 
 
 
 
 

LATEST HEADLINES

  • PARLIAMENT
  • POLITICS
  • REGIONAL
 
 

InfoPages News Channels


 
 
 
 

Join Our Free Newsletter

Subscribe to Scoop’s 'The Catch Up' our free weekly newsletter sent to your inbox every Monday with stories from across our network.