Moana Mackey
Climate Change Spokesperson
1 August 2013
How many more reports before Government moves on climate change?
A report released today by the Prime Minister’s Chief Science Advisor, Sir Peter Gluckman, must surely trigger some
Government action to try and mitigate the effects of climate change, says Moana Mackey, Labour’s Climate Change
spokesperson.
“The report points out changes in wind patterns, precipitation, and ocean chemistry are expected to have significant
impacts on our environment and therefore our primary industries. It also predicts more extreme weather and tidal events.
“This is yet another wake-up call for the National, which has – and continues to be - asleep at the wheel when it comes
to addressing the very serious threat of climate change.
“Since being elected in 2008 the Government has systematically wound back every measure put in place by the previous
Labour government to address climate change. It has withdrawn from Kyoto, gutted the Emissions Trading Scheme, and
removed all complementary measures such as support for renewable energy technologies.
“We currently have no effective price on carbon and this, combined with Minister Tim Groser’s untenable refusal to
restrict the flood of cheap international units coming into New Zealand, is having a devastating effect on our carbon
forestry sector.
“The report highlights the inherent uncertainty in predicting the exact impacts of climate change but states that this
should not be used as an excuse to postpone ‘concerted action’.
“Concerted action is long overdue. What is clear is that only a Labour-led government will take the issue of climate
change seriously.”
ENDS