An Urgent Appeal to New Zealand Voters
(Advertised in Dominon-Post Thursday 15/9/2005)
Recent events have shown that tax cuts and all the other election issues pale into insignificance compared with the
importance of weather and climate on our lives.
Scientists now agree that climate change is caused mainly by burning fossil fuels like petrol, gas and coal. This poses
the most serious threat in history to humanity and the global environment.
Shrinking glaciers, thawing tundra, warmer shorter winters, and more extreme weather events are all signs this
phenomenon is already profoundly affecting environments and economies worldwide.
Our’s is the first and only fossil-fuelled civilisation. Our entire economy and standard of living currently rely on the burning of fossil fuels as a cheap, convenient form of
energy. This is coming to an end, with recent price hikes possibly partly due to coming global peak in oil supplies.
We have reached a critical crossroad. Either we carry on until change is forced on us, or we begin to wean ourselves from fossil-fuel-driven consumption by
reducing demand and switching to clean renewable sources. We urgently need to take full responsibility for our
climate-changing emissions. We need leadership to help us take new local initiatives for energy supply and demand
management, and the retention of balanced and inclusive laws for sustainable resource management decisions.
We have to begin to take action now. The collapse of past civilisations that overshot their resource base is a warning. We cannot afford to have leaders who
turn their backs on the evidence of climate change and refuse to support national and international efforts to address
the unprecedented threat it poses to our way of life and that of our children.
For further information on these issues please see these resources:
Climate change: http://www.ipcc.ch
Peak oil: http://www.peakoil.net/
Community Action Options: http://www.4million.org.nz
Political parties on climate change issues: http://www.environmentvote.org.nz
Political parties on science issues: http://nzas.rsnz.org/special/election05.html
We, the undersigned, have helped pay for this advertisement as an expression of our concern. We appeal to voters in the
2005 elections to consider deeply where the political parties stand on climate change and sustainable energy use. In the
end, it is how we react to these issues that really matters.
Dr.Bill Allan, Wellington
Dr.Brian Anderson, Ross
Dr.Peter Barrett, Wellington
Dr.Nancy Bertler, Wellington
Rob Bishop, Upper Hutt
Claire Bleakley, Wairarapa
Ruth Brassington, Wellington
Ian Brewer, Wellington
Paul Bruce, Wellington
Janet Campbell, Wellington
John Carter, Haitaitai
Tom Cass, Opotiki
Frances Cherry, Wellington
Karen Commons, Wellington
Pete Cowley, Wellington
Terry Creighton, Napier
Jane Dawson, Wellington
Noel Dowrick, Wellington
Charles Drace, Christchurch
Mike Ennis, Wellington
Hugh Ferguson, Wellington
Prof.Robin Ferrier, Wellington
Anne FitzSimon, Nelson
Grant Floyd, Wellington
Chris Freear, Christchurch
Barb Freeman, Wellington
Anne French, Wellington
Noeline Gannaway, Wellington
DrPeter Gilberd, Wellington
Dr.John Gleisner, Masterton
Martin Griffiths, Christchurch
Lois Griffiths, Christchurch
Volker Grindel, Opotiki
Dr.Mike Hannah, Wellington
Marilyn Head, Wellington
Jürgen Heissner, Dipl. Psych, Nelson
Geoff Henderson, F.IPENZ, Christchurch
Shelley Hood, Upper Hutt
Helen Hughes, CBE, CRSNZ,Wellington
Melanie Hutton, Wellington
Robert Ibell, Wellington
Dr.Malcolm Ingham, Wellington
Wendy Johnson, Waiheke Island
Tim Jones, Wellington
Patricia A Kane, Wellington
Richard Keller, Wellington
Harry Keys, Taupo
Alice Leney, Coromandel
Dr.Robert Leonard, PhD, Wellington
Jonathan Lermit, Wellington
Rodney Lewington, Wellington
Janet Little, Wellington
Dr Peter Lloyd, Hastings
David MacClement, Auckland
Dr.Ian Mackintosh, Wellington
Piers Maclaren, Rangiora
Willie Mandeno, Wellington
Jennifer Martin, Paekakariki
Dr Cliff Mason, Wellington
Dr.Andrew Matthews, Wellington
Bill McClellan, Wellington
Dr.Mary McIntyre, Wellington
Rob McKay, Wellington
Fionnaigh McKenzie, Wellington
Leigh Missen, Wellington
Dr.Uwe Morgenstern, Wellington
Jeena Murphy, Wellington
Dr.Tim Naish, Wellington
Eva Naylor, Wellington
Grant Nicholls, Paekakariki
Suzana Parry, Wellington
Chris Peace, Wellington
Dr.John Peet, Christchurch
Dr Ken and Pam Piddington, Wellington
Dr.Nick Preston, Wellington
Dr.Ian Prior, ONZM, Wellington
Roland Sapsford, Wellington
Lionel Sharman, MSc, Lower Hutt
Ian Shearer, F.IPENZ, Wellington
M. Sidebotham, Te Puke
Prof.Ralph Sims, FIPENZ, FIAgEng, Palmerston North
Claire Storkey, Wellington
Ian Storkey, Wellington
Jane Taylor, Wellington
Alan Thatcher, BVSc, Stratford
Christina Troup, Wellington
Ann Tucker, Wellington
Peter Turner, Porirua
Ullah Turner, Porirua
Jock Vennell, Wellington
Murray Ward, Wellington
Kay Weir, Wellington
Tricia Weir, Wellington
Dr.Jez Weston, Wellington
Dr.Robin Williams, CB, Wellington
Dr.Peter Wills, Auckland
Dr Nick Wilson, Wellington
Derek Wilson, Wellington
Alex Winter-Billington, MSc Phys Geog,Wellington
Heather Wood, Wellington
Terence Wood, Wellington
Teresa Wyndham-Smith, Wellington
Zwartz Family, Wellington
The Anglican Missions Board of the Church in Aotearoa, New Zealand & Polynesia, Wellington
**** ENDS ****