LookingLast Thursday the annual New Zealand budget was released. I knew from pre-budget publicity that the emphasis would be on helping low income families so I cheered when benefits were raised to bring recipients one step closer to equality. I was also looking for money allocations relevant to climate change. After all we are living under a climate change emergency! Loose change
Janet Stephenson, Research Professor, Centre for Sustainability, University of Otago says: “Compared to the scale and rapidity of changes required, the budget is underwhelming. The funding for supporting communities facing transition is comparatively tiny at less than $4m per year. There is no funding to assist councils who are facing climate change impacts and need to prepare for enhanced risks to property and infrastructure. We urgently need targeted funding for research and innovation for Aotearoa New Zealand’s energy transition. It is laudable that some funds have been set aside for developing a strategy for our climate change transition and for policy responses to the forthcoming advice from the Climate Change Commission, but I fail to see any bold and farsighted initiatives that will reset Aotearoa New Zealand to a low-carbon trajectory.” Pushing backShaw is pushing back! He says, adding the various bits together, this budget delivers $2.3 billion for 'slashing emissions.' Furthermore, according to Jamie Morton, Science Reporter at the New Zealand Herald, Shaw also says that climate spending includes: '$300m to accelerate investment in low-carbon technology, $67m to help decarbonise the public sector by 2025, and nearly $20m to support the policy response to the Climate Change Commission's eagerly-awaited final advice.' As expected, the budget gives some attention to climate change but I'm with those who wanted more – more to promote 'regenerative farming', for instance. CarsCars earn budget attention. Cars are polluters and emitters and in the final Climate Change Commission report due soon, we expect recommendations about the gradual move to electric propulsion. Meanwhile, part of Minister Shaw's $2.3 billion is a $302 million allotment 'to help people buy fuel efficient cars.' That seems a very slow way of achieving emission reductions. The General Secretary of the United Nations, António Guterres, has been saying for the past few months that 2021 is a crucial 'must act' year for emission reduction. And I noted recently that the G7 environment ministers have agreed that they 'will deliver climate targets in line with limiting the rise in global temperatures to 1.5°C, (1.5°C not 2°C) in the run up to the vital global climate summit (COP26) in Glasgow in November. Is there an urgent ambition blowing in the wind at last? Shock tactics
You must be jokingWouldn't that cause a furore? Just imagine the outbursts. "Get real!" "It'll never work." "You must be mad." Am I serious? Yes of course I am. Our government has declared that we live under a climate change emergency. In the way we live I see very little sign of it. We need a shock to alert us to reality – the reality of a changing earth. Lockdowns shocked us into the seriousness of the pandemic. Carless Days, good in themselves, are needed to shock us into the seriousness of the climate emergency. □ John McInnes Friday 28 May 2021 References: click the text below Jamie Morton NZ Herald 20 May 2021 Professor Janet Stephenson, referred in text above - scroll down ##########
0 Comments
|
Welcome
|