Monday, 22 November 2004

Baldock welcomes fact-driven approach to transport issues

United Future transport spokesman Larry Baldock today welcomed the “real world” approach of a visiting American academic at a sustainable transport symposium in Wellington.

Professor Peter Gordon, of the University of California, this morning reminded delegates that all doomsday predictions to date have been wrong, and in the light of that, challenged them to think carefully about such views on Greenhouse gases, the Kyoto Protocol, and oil and gas shortages.

“Certainly as an opening approach, it was important to see that ideological blinkers were being taken off in some key quarters,” Mr Baldock said.

“And key among those should be Transport Minister Pete Hodgson who has stated that the two big challenges this century are the peaking of fossil fuel supplies and climate change.

“However, the Minister himself alluded to contradictions within existing Government policy - perhaps showing signs of a desire to shake off the green influence,” Mr Baldock said.

“Professor Gordon provided a refreshingly honest and unemotive look at some very important issues,” he said in congratulating the organisers of the Towards Sustainable Land Transport Conference.

“New Zealand’s economy could be seriously threatened if we accept these green ideological positions hook, line and sinker, when they really need to be challenged.”

Mr Baldock said that while environmental issues always needed to be taken into account, there needed to be a factual and hardheaded approach to transport requirements if New Zealand was to move forward as a developed nation.

ENDS

© Scoop Media