Alliance Party says climate change bill does not deal with the real problems

Alliance Party media release for Immediate Release Tuesday 26 August 2008

The Alliance Party says it opposes the emissions trading scheme being pushed through Parliament because it does not go far enough.

Alliance Party co-leader Kay Murray says the Alliance is completely committed to fighting climate change, but the market approach of carbon trading won’t work.

“We need a planned transformation of the New Zealand economy towards sustainable development and a ‘whole of society’ approach to climate change because the problem is not ours alone as it is fundamentally a global one,” she says.

Ms Murray says the Alliance has grave concerns about where the Emissions Trading Scheme will take us.

"We are worried that the proposed scheme will turn into yet another money-making scheme for the rich and powerful and will have little or no effect on the actual rate of polluting emissions. These are the same people who have accumulated great wealth by speculating on currency, housing, shares and commodities while the rest of us have paid the price,” she says.

The Alliance believes the argument that an incoming National Government would introduce even weaker emissions trading laws is spurious.

“If National become the Government, the ETS will be the least of our problems,” she says.

"We are also concerned that the Greens have supported the ETS despite the fact they themselves say that carbon trading won't solve climate change."

The Alliance proposes a wide range of environmental measures based around public and democratic control of transport, energy and housing.

ENDS

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