Young Kiwis challenge leaders on climate change inaction
Young Kiwis challenge leaders on climate change inaction
Over 700 young people held a flash mob outside Britomart yesterday to launch a new campaign for climate change solutions, in the wake of New Zealand being named as one of the worst players at the UN climate negotiations in Doha.
Youth organiser Lance Cash said the 100% Possible campaign is borne out of the frustration of many young New Zealanders about political inaction on climate change in New Zealand.
"Moving New Zealand beyond
fossil fuels is 100% possible, and yet our leaders continue
to ignore the abundance of solutions available at our
fingertips".
100% Possible is a collaborative
campaign between Generation Zero, 350 Aotearoa and WWF
calling for political and community action to move New
Zealand beyond fossil fuels.
The campaign launch
and flash mob were part of youth-run climate change
conference Power Shift NZ-Pacific, which brought together
over 700 young people from across New Zealand and the
Pacific in Auckland to address solutions to climate change.
The actions come after New Zealand was recognised
as one of the nations doing the most to block progress at
the United Nations climate change negotiations that finished
today in Doha, Qatar.
New Zealand was, alongside
the United States, awarded the satirical 'Colossal Fossil'
award by the Climate Action Network for being the most
counterproductive to progress.
Aaron Packard, Pacific
coordinator for 350 Aotearoa, said:
"Pacific Islands are
already at the forefront of the climate change, threatened
by rising sea level, desalination and extreme weather. New
Zealand needs to stand with our Pacific neighbours by acting
responsibly on the global stage and getting our own house in
order."
"Its shameful that a nation that prides itself on innovation, fairness and moral leadership would act so irresponsibly on the international stage," said Mr Cash.
"My leaders have been discussing how to
address climate change my entire life, and yet New Zealand
still has no comprehensive plan to move beyond fossil
fuels.
"As well as becoming the new bad boy of the
global negotiations, the Government's recent gutting of the
Emissions Trading Scheme means that there's essentially no
action going on at home either.
"The thing that's so
hard to understand about all this is that New Zealand has an
abundance of opportunities to get moving beyond fossil
fuels. We need our leaders to step up and take responsible
action."
ENDS