19/08/2005 - Greenpeace
today condemned National's new energy policy
as backward and dangerous as it ignores renewable
energy and the reality of climate change.
"National has plumbed new depths in its
energy policy. In spectacular fashion they
have managed to ignore any mention of the
climate change, the environment or sustainability.
'Renewable energy' also seems to be sorely
missing from National's policy vocabulary,
because it certainly doesn't rate a mention
in either their climate or energy policies,"
said climate campaigner, Vanessa Atkinson.
The scientific community and governments
around the globe agree; climate change is
happening now, it is caused by burning fossil
fuels like coal, oil and gas for energy and
we need deep cuts in our greenhouse emissions
if we are to avoid climate disaster.
Every month the predictions from scientists
get more and more dire. New Zealand faces
more extreme weather events like droughts
and floods, longer and more intense forest
fire risk, sea level rise, new agricultural
pests and the occurrence of tropical diseases
like malaria.
"It is outrageous that a political party
could still fail to make any connection between
energy and climate change. The two are fundamentally
linked".
National's policy on energy also completely
ignores renewable energy. Yet New Zealand
has one of the best renewable energy resources
on the planet. Wind energy is the fastest
growing energy sector in the world, and alone
could comprise 35% of our electricity capacity
with existing technology.
As well as wind, New Zealand also has an
abundance of renewable hydro, biomass and
solar resources which National has ignored
in favour of unsustainable sources like coal.
"National wants to gamble with our future,
by pushing us down a polluting energy path
of more coal fired power stations which will
lead to more dangerous climate change – the
biggest threat the world faces," said
Ms Atkinson.
We urgently need a sustainable energy strategy
for New Zealand to make a transition to renewable
energy sources and energy efficiency conservation
requirements, with a phase out of coal and
fossil fuel electricity generation, to help
avoid dangerous climate change.
"National's energy policy is cold comfort
to any one concerned about the environment
or climate change," concluded Ms Atkinson.
