National needs a plan, not just a recession and rain, to beat emissions


The Government can claim no credit for today's official greenhouse gas emissions statistics, which show the first ever reduction in transport sector emissions and a decrease in electricity sector emissions due to less coal-fired generation, Labour's environment spokesperson Charles Chauvel says.

"National can’t trumpet these reductions as they bear no relationship whatever to its policies,” Charles Chauvel said.

“The transport emissions decrease is due to less diesel use because of reduced economic activity. The electricity emissions decrease is mainly due to lots of rain leading to full hydro lakes and more renewable generation being brought on stream under the last Labour-led Government.

"National has dismantled the Energy Strategy and the Transport Strategy and all the measures they put in place to reduce emissions in each sector. When New Zealand comes out of recession, and in years when our hydro lakes aren't full, our emissions will hit historic highs.

"The only policy the Government has in place to address this reality is a flawed ETS that shifts costs from emitters to households and which will lead to higher, not lower, greenhouse gas emissions,” Charles Chauvel said.

ENDS

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