Media Release: New Zealand Youth Delegation call on Government to adopt blueprint for a FutureProofNZ

21 September 2015

With New Zealand being one of the most greenhouse gas emissions intensive economies in the world and the UN Climate Change Conference in Paris less than three months away, the New Zealand Youth Delegation are calling on the New Zealand Government to adopt their recently released blueprint with ideas on how to future proof New Zealand.

“As young people who will bear the brunt of climate change, we are calling on the government to future proof New Zealand away from our emissions-intensive economy and embrace the opportunities offered in the transition to a carbon zero economy,” New Zealand Youth Delegation Spokesperson Anna Sturman said.

“The Government’s mediocre emissions reduction policy threatens our international standing ahead of the crucial climate change negotiations in Paris. Instead of trying to cheat our way through Paris, New Zealand needs to produce a serious plan to go carbon zero by 2050.”

“New Zealand should move in the right direction by stopping subsidies to the fossil fuel industry and reinvesting the funding in clean, renewable energy, protecting the livelihoods of farmers through lower intensity production models, and utilizing our forestry sector responsibly to offset emissions.”

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