National Government wins awards for climate failure

The National Government's failure to act on climate change has seen it get two fossil of the day awards on the first day of international climate talks, the Green Party said today.

"The National Government pretends its decisions undermining efforts to combat climate change are minor, but, the fossil of the day awards show it is fooling no one," Green Party climate change spokesperson Kennedy Graham said.

Annual international climate negotiations started yesterday in Doha, Qatar. Over a two week period countries are meeting to seek an agreement on how to achieve greenhouse gas emission's reductions.

"The fossil awards recognise the National Government's decision not to sign up to legally binding emission reduction targets under the Kyoto Protocol, and for its refusal to even state what voluntary goals it will pretend to aim for.

"The National Government doesn't have a plan to achieve greenhouse gas emission reductions and it gutted the Emissions Trading Scheme in a way which loads more costs onto taxpayers while subsidising polluters.

"The National Government has put New Zealand's international reputation is on the line.

"We are seeing stories in major media organisations in the United Kingdom, United States and even China attacking our stance on climate change.

"By not doing our fair share on climate change the National Government is damaging our clean green image and that puts our economy, our environment and jobs at risk.

"This National Government is making us climate change pariahs by not doing our fair share and obstructing action on climate change.

"Unlike the Prime Minister New Zealanders don't see our environment as a cheap commodity like a hamburger and its time the Government started to value it.

"New Zealanders are not lovin' our Government backward obstructionist approach at Doha," said Dr Graham.