The National Government's hands-off response to the latest IPCC report on climate change adaptation is not only unbelievable, it’s embarrassing, says Labour Climate Change spokesperson Moana Mackey.
“This Government is asleep at the wheel when it comes to decisive action on climate change and halting further increases in our greenhouse gas emissions. At the very least they need to be preparing for the inevitable impacts of existing climate warming.”
"It is unbelievable that the so-called Climate Change Minister, Tim Groser, thinks adaptation to the impacts of climate change should be left to ‘natural processes’.
"Labour will future-proof our economy. We will not saddle future generations with the legacy of inaction on climate change,” Moana Mackey said.
Climate change adaptation is not enough - Generation Zero
Responding to the latest report by the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC), Generation Zero Policy Director Alec Dawson explains, “the report shows that the impacts of climate change are already being felt across the world in all continents, and predicts that there will be significant impacts for the next generation. These include serious changes to the lives of people in coastal areas, global drops in crop yields, and impacts of heat waves and inland flooding in urban areas.”
Mr Dawson; “Adaptation is essential to manage the unavoidable but we also need to avoid the unmanageable impacts of climate change. The reality is that on the world's current emissions path we are on track for around four degrees of warming by 2100.
“New Zealand could be following in the footsteps of countries like Denmark, with their ambitious plan to be completely fossil fuel free by 2050 - powering all of their energy including transport from clean, renewable energy.”
“However, the current Government’s actions are taking us in the wrong direction. Official projections show our carbon pollution continuing to grow, with the sum effect of current climate change policies predicted to reduce total emissions by a pathetic 0.4% in 2030 compared to doing nothing at all.”
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