“This is it; 2023 will be the last opportunity New Zealand has to get a government that will confront the climate emergency with the urgency it demands,” says the Green Party’s co-leader and climate change spokesperson, James Shaw.

Speaking after the release today of the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change synthesis report, James Shaw warned that time was running out and that putting off bold climate action any longer is not an option.

“There is no time left for half-measures. It’s now or never. Anything less than urgent action to cut climate pollution in every part of Aotearoa will not be sufficient.

“Climate action will be on the ballot paper this year.

“New Zealand will end the year with the most progressive, climate-focused Government we have ever had – a government with more Green Ministers at the decision-making table – or a National-ACT government of climate inaction and delay.

“2023 will be one of the most consequential elections we have had in Aotearoa for decades.

“Scientists are telling us loud and clear that we have only a few years left to take the necessary action to limit warming to 1.5 degrees above pre-industrial levels, or face more intense extreme weather. However, among the dire warnings is an optimistic note that it’s not too late to make a difference.

“That is, if we can build on the progress we have made in government and take action to cut climate pollution faster, then we still have a decent chance of avoiding the worst effects of climate change.

“But it is the next term of government that will be the deciding factor. If the next government fails to muster the courage and moral clarity to confront the climate crisis with the urgency it demands, then it will be too late.

“In my State of the Planet speech over the weekend I made it clear: political parties that want to negotiate with the Green Party after the election must come to the table with much faster, bolder climate action.

“Today’s report shows exactly why it will not be acceptable to the millions of people who are demanding bolder action; nor to the Green Party; nor to me if the next government fails to step up,” says James Shaw.

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