UN report: climate action is affordable and practical
Taking action on climate change is both affordable and practical, says Climate Change Minister David Parker. This was confirmed today with the release of the Summary for Policy Makers of Working Group III of the United Nations' Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC).
"The report confirms that with technologies that are available today, and that are currently being developed, we can cut emissions and avoid the worst projected impacts of climate change. As the government has been saying, such actions will also deliver other economic, environmental and health benefits," the Minister said.
"The Labour-led government's climate change policies encompass many of the measures the IPCC list as being effective and affordable. These include measures to put a price on carbon, increase the uptake of energy efficiency measures, develop more renewable energy and expand the use of biofuels.
"The IPCC report is consistent with our view that it's cheaper to take action on climate change than not, especially when you take into account the long term risks," David Parker said.
Taking action to stabilise atmospheric concentrations of green house gases at between 445 and 710 parts per million of carbon dioxide equivalents, is likely to result in global annual GDP growth at a rate just 0.12 percentage points slower than without action. Under the projections for 2030, global GDP would be no less than 97 per cent of what it would have been if nothing were done.
In the longer term it is very likely that the combined social, economic and environmental costs of an unstable climate will be much higher, David Parker said.
"The cost of action is tiny compared with the economic, environmental and social cost of inaction.
"The IPCC's first report in February confirmed that human activity is responsible for much of the recent climate change. The second report in April painted a clear picture of climate change impacts that New Zealand is already experiencing and those that it is very likely we will face from now on.
"Now, this third report spells out that practical and cost effective measures to reduce emissions are available."
"The report confirms that with technologies that are available today, and that are currently being developed, we can cut emissions and avoid the worst projected impacts of climate change. As the government has been saying, such actions will also deliver other economic, environmental and health benefits," the Minister said.
"The Labour-led government's climate change policies encompass many of the measures the IPCC list as being effective and affordable. These include measures to put a price on carbon, increase the uptake of energy efficiency measures, develop more renewable energy and expand the use of biofuels.
"The IPCC report is consistent with our view that it's cheaper to take action on climate change than not, especially when you take into account the long term risks," David Parker said.
Taking action to stabilise atmospheric concentrations of green house gases at between 445 and 710 parts per million of carbon dioxide equivalents, is likely to result in global annual GDP growth at a rate just 0.12 percentage points slower than without action. Under the projections for 2030, global GDP would be no less than 97 per cent of what it would have been if nothing were done.
In the longer term it is very likely that the combined social, economic and environmental costs of an unstable climate will be much higher, David Parker said.
"The cost of action is tiny compared with the economic, environmental and social cost of inaction.
"The IPCC's first report in February confirmed that human activity is responsible for much of the recent climate change. The second report in April painted a clear picture of climate change impacts that New Zealand is already experiencing and those that it is very likely we will face from now on.
"Now, this third report spells out that practical and cost effective measures to reduce emissions are available."