October 24, 2007

Climate change policy must ensure just transition

The Engineering, Printing and Manufacturing Union says New Zealand can not afford to drag its heels on climate change, but our policy response must ensure a just transition for workers in emission-intensive industries.

The EPMU is responding to today's report from the New Zealand Institute, which suggested New Zealand should follow rather than lead on climate change to avoid having businesses leave the country due to 'carbon flight'.

EPMU National Secretary Andrew Little says the report highlights the importance of a just transition as we transform our economy to cut greenhouse emissions.

"New Zealand's response to climate change needs to take account of the fact that hundreds of thousands of jobs are affected by measures that place extra costs on business and that influence investment decisions. Naturally, we are concerned about the impact on livelihoods, both now and in the long term.

"We don't want to see good, highly skilled jobs going offshore with no thought about how that skilled labour might be redeployed. A just transition means encouraging investment in new technologies that demand new skills and therefore investment in training for the future.

"However, this should not be used as an excuse to drag our heels on climate change as the New Zealand Institute and other business lobby groups appear to be suggesting. As the Stern report last year noted, the long term economic consequences of doing nothing are far more costly than emission-reduction actions now.

"Climate change is the most serious environmental threat of our time, and it is crucial that we take serious action now to reduce emissions. The EPMU's position is simply that we do so in a manner that takes the interests of working New Zealanders into account."

The EPMU represents 50,000 working New Zealanders, including many in emission-intensive industries such as coal mining, manufacturing, electricity generation and oil extraction.

ENDS

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