As the Government pulls out of global climate commitments, a significant new report shows that sea ice around Antarctica is melting at unprecedented speed.

“This is a clear and urgent signal that the climate crisis is accelerating, and a critical tipping point may have already been passed. It’s not a distant threat to think about somewhere down the line; it’s here,” says the Green Party co-leader Marama Davidson.

“The Aotearoa we all deserve is entirely within our grasp. Devastatingly, this Government is failing us all, undermining global climate efforts at every opportunity–all in the name of short-term thinking and profit.

“Last month, we learned the Government was being sued for their lack of a climate plan. Then we learned their “investment” into gas fields was a breach of the Agreement on Climate Change, Trade and Sustainability (ACCTS), having sought no advice on the ramifications.

“Then, just two weeks ago, Luxon’s Government abandoned the international Beyond Oil and Gas Alliance. It cannot go on.

“The Green Party is calling on the Government to urgently show real climate leadership, by honouring the global commitments we have signed up to.

“We also need serious investment in climate-resilient infrastructure, which is possible and affordable, as we’ve shown in our Green Budget.

“Truly prosperous economic activity is only possible if our planet is also thriving. We depend on a stable climate for the air we breathe, the water we drink, the food we eat and the materials for life–the things of true value,” says Marama Davidson.

NOTES

• Antarctica’s ocean flip: Satellites catch sudden salt surge melting ice from below | ScienceDaily
• ‘Completely unexpected’: Antarctic sea ice may be in terminal decline due to rising Southern Ocean salinity
• Rising surface salinity and declining sea ice: A new Southern Ocean state revealed by satellites | PNAS

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