ETS recommendations would shift even more burden to young

Friday, 16 September 2011, 5:15 pm
Press Release: Generation Zero

GENERATION ZERO PRESS RELEASE
16 SEPTEMBER 2011

ETS recommendations would shift even more burden to young people

Generation Zero and supporting organisations say that recommendations to, in the Government's own words, “slow down” the implementation of the Emissions Trading Scheme rub salt into the wound for today's young people.

“We already stand to suffer from the lack of strong action to combat climate change and fossil fuel dependence,” said Generation Zero spokesperson, Paul Young. “Minimising the short-term cost of the ETS for polluters and consumers just means that more cost and more suffering will be borne by young people in the future. This disregard for our future is hard to take.”

The report by the Emissions Trading Scheme Review Panel was released by the Government on Thursday with a favourable accompanying press release from the Minister for Climate Change Issues, Hon Dr Nick Smith.1 The report's 61 recommendations point towards further weakening the ETS, when already the Government's own projections show that the ETS and other current policies will fail to reduce total emissions below today's levels by 2020.2

“It appears that the Government has all but given up on its target of a 10-20% reduction on 1990 levels by 2020,” said Mr Young.

In his press release Dr Smith states that, “Net emissions are down and New Zealand is on track to comfortably meet its Kyoto Protocol obligations.” He fails to acknowledge that the Kyoto obligations have been met only by using carbon credits generated from commercial plantation forests. These credits will have to be repaid when the forests are harvested, causing a boom in the national emissions profile from around 2020. This multi-billion dollar taxpayer liability is well-known to the Minister, as it has been explicitly acknowledged by the Treasury.3

“More people ought to be aware that by failing to reduce greenhouse gas emissions, we are literally passing the buck to the next generation of taxpayers,” said Mr Young. “The Government thinks it is a good idea to sell profitable state assets to pay down debt, but on the other hand it is running away from implementing costs on carbon emissions that would ease the debt – both economic and ecological – being transferred to the future as a result of inaction on climate change.”

Dr Smith also claims that the report “confirms the Government’s confidence in the ETS as the most effective way to reduce emissions at least cost.” However, under the Terms of Reference, the Panel was told not to consider “whether an emissions trading scheme is the most appropriate response to climate change for New Zealand.” With the report making no comparison to alternative approaches such as a carbon tax, Dr Smith's statement is hard to justify.

“Generation Zero is calling on all political parties to show some spine, and front up with credible action plans to move beyond fossil fuels and put our country on the path to zero net emissions by 2050,” said Mr Young. “A robust carbon pricing scheme that doesn't pass the buck is a fundamental element. Justice for the next generation requires nothing less.”

Generation Zero is supported on this call by 350 Aotearoa, Medical Students for Global Awareness and the New Zealand Youth Delegation.

ENDS

For more information about Generation Zero see www.generationzero.org.nz

For more information about 350 Aotearoa, MSGA and NZYD see:
www.350.org.nz
www.msga.org.nz
www.youthdelegation.org.nz

1http://www.climatechange.govt.nz/emissions-trading-scheme/ets-review-2011/index.html
2See Figure 5.10, http://www.mfe.govt.nz/publications/climate/nz-fifth-national-communication/page6.html
3See The Carbon Challenge, Geoff Bertram and Simon Terry, 2010.

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