Scoop has an Ethical Paywall
PHA Backs Call For Action On Climate Change
9 October 2009
The Public Health Association (PHA)
says a call from leading public health physicians, medics
and academics for New Zealand to halve its greenhouse gas
emissions, shows the high level of concern over the impact
of climate change on health.
The PHA’s acting
National Executive Officer, Keriata Stuart, says the
article, published in today’s New Zealand Medical Journal,
calls for this country to commit to substantial decreases in
its greenhouse gas emissions, to avoid the worst impacts of
climate change on human health, both here and
internationally.
Ms Stuart says climate change is a
huge threat to health.
“Without a reduction in
global carbon dioxide levels, we could see an increase in
vector-borne diseases such as dengue fever; a greater number
of severe storms and floods, which can cause injury and
death and trigger infectious disease outbreaks; an increase
in illness and death from heat stress during heat waves; and
an increase in the risk of infectious disease transmission
if greater numbers of environmental refugees move from Asia
and the Pacific to New Zealand.”
She says the PHA
believes Government needs to introduce a rational system of
carbon user charges, and consider ways of increasing public
acceptability of these charges. This public acceptability
could be gained by using the additional revenue to fund
improvements in public transport, lowering income tax rates
for low-income citizens when new carbon user charges are
introduced, better educating the public about the impacts of
the current unsustainable use of fossil fuels, and ensuring
that the actual charges, when introduced, are not too
high.
“We also believe central and local government
must continue to promote energy efficiency and reduce
emissions. This can be done a number of ways, including
making government-owned building and housing stock more
energy efficient, providing funding for routine emissions
tests on vehicles when they get a warrant of fitness and
looking for ways to reduce methane emissions.”
She
says that, as pointed out in the NZMJ paper, New Zealand has
the fourth highest per capita greenhouse gas emissions in
the developed world, and one of the biggest increases in
gross emissions since 1990.
“The PHA calls on
Government to commit to substantial decreases in greenhouse
gas emissions, without
delay.”
ENDS
John P. Ruehl: Defending Privacy In The Surveillance State And Fragmenting Internet
Ecobaits: Kiwi Inventor Seeks To Change The World Of Fishing And Ocean Care With Sustainable Fishing Products
Bill Bennett: 2degrees Charged Over Roaming Claim
Auckland Zoo: Emergency Mahi Underway For Endemic Skink On The Brink
University of Auckland: AI Has Multiple Uses In Surgery, Research Finds
Tourism Industry Aotearoa: TRENZ Bids Goodbye To The Capital, And Hello To Rotorua
