Hon Dr Nick Smith MP
National Party Climate Change Spokesman

8 April 2008

Biofuels joins climate change debacles

Biofuels is set to join the list of climate change policy debacles, with the Minister admitting sustainability standards will not be in place by 1 July, says National’s Climate Change spokesman, Nick Smith.

“It is foolish for the Government to be proceeding with its biofuels requirement without a sustainability standard when there is such deep concern about biofuels.”

Dr Smith cited international experts such as UN Secretary-General Ban Ki-Moon, the British Government’s chief scientific adviser, the G8, the EU, the German Environment Minister, and the House of Commons, and domestic authorities such as the Parliamentary Commissioner for the Environment and Professor Susan Krumdieck from the University of Canterbury, who all question the merits of biofuels and are calling for a moratorium.

“The admission by the Minister that New Zealand will be importing unsustainable biofuels in the initial years is environmentally irresponsible.

“This ill-conceived biofuels policy looks set to join the Labour Government’s long list of climate change policies that include the billion-dollar Kyoto bungle, the fart tax fiasco, the carbon tax debacle, the solar water heating flop, the deforestation disaster, and its thermal electricity ban being overturned by its own SOE.

“National will not proceed with the biofuels option until there is a clear standard that ensures it will benefit the environment.”

ENDS

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