How to reduce Kyoto angst? Cut emissions: Greenpeace

20 April 2007--The angst around New Zealand's Kyoto liability is the inevitable consequence of delaying efforts to reduce our greenhouse gas emissions, Greenpeace said today.

Greenpeace Executive Director Bunny McDiarmid said that since we signed Kyoto New Zealand could have been steadily reducing emissions. But no policies were yet in place.

"Since Kyoto, we have sat back smugly, relying totally on forests to soak up carbon, and not lifting a finger to reduce our actual greenhouse gas emissions else. This has made us the 7th worst country in the OECD for emission increases," said Greenpeace Executive Director Bunny McDiarmid.

"In 1995, we warned the Government (1) that if it relied on forests to soak up our emissions, it would end up in big trouble. And that's exactly where we are today," she said.

She pointed out that not a single policy was yet in place to encourage New Zealand to reduce its C02 emissions.

"Judging by the Government's current proposals, we cannot expect any policies to deliver emissions reductions until at least 2012. In this time, we can only expect our liaibility to continue to go up," she said.

Greenpeace said the Government needs to introduce a bold package of policy measures to reduce emissions and called for a carbon tax to be introduced immediately.

"The longer New Zealand as a whole waits to act on Kyoto the more we pay."

ENDS

Notes
(1) Hamilton, K, B Hare and B Weeber (1995) The New Zealand Effect: Why sinks Won't Save the Climate. Greenpeace, ECO and Forest and Bird.

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