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Kiwi Organisations Unite To Tackle Climate Change

To encourage appropriate action in response to climate change in the lead up to the crucial UN climate change conference in Copenhagen this December, organisations nation-wide are uniting through the New Zealand Climate Action Partnership (NZCAP).

New Zealand Climate Action Partnership is focused on bringing together local and national groups, businesses and all levels of government to show New Zealand’s political leaders the public demand for effective action against climate change on the national and global level.

The partnership welcomes the New Zealand government’s recent announcement that it will consult New Zealanders before setting greenhouse gas reduction targets in August. Lauren Sinreich of the group’s steering committee stresses, “The time is now to take multi-level action that really shows our political leaders we need a stance that provides a real chance of avoiding catastrophic climate change, which could be brought on by as little as a two degree global temperature increase.”

To minimize risk of run-away climate change, New Zealand Climate Action Partnership supports a greenhouse gas reductions target for New Zealand and developed nations of at least 40% below 1990 levels by 2020. The partnership plans to help recruit 350,000 signatures of support by the time of the Copenhagen conference.

The partnership seeks to incorporate a range of sectors including industry, agriculture, energy, academics, unions and churches in order to broaden climate change dialogue and action. Organizations currently represented on its steering committee include Oxfam New Zealand, Greenpeace Aotearoa New Zealand, 350 Aotearoa, The Sustainability Trust, Nelson Environment Centre, and Negawatt Resources, a Wellington-based energy efficiency services company.

Oxfam New Zealand’s Executive Director Barry Coates said, "For too long climate change has been seen solely as an issue for environmental groups. But the fact is that climate change affects each and every one of us across the world.” Coates added, “This coalition is about bringing together churches, anti-poverty groups, trade unions...and Joe Public…in the spirit of fulfilling our moral responsibility to poor and vulnerable communities and to future generations."

New Zealand Climate Action Partnership will be disseminating information and promoting events to increase climate change awareness and action leading up to Copenhagen.

ENDS

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