Govt misses opportunity for green energy future

The Government’s energy strategy shows they have no plan to develop a clean, green economy for the 21st century, said the Green Party today.

“This strategy demonstrates how backward-looking the Government is on energy,” said Green Party Energy spokesperson, Dr Kennedy Graham.

“Instead of developing a plan to transition away from fossil fuels, they plan to make New Zealand a fossil-fuel exporter by 2030.

“The Acting Minister says the switch from fossil fuels can’t occur overnight. No-one ever said it could. But to plan to be a net exporter of oil two decades from now, while identifying climate change as one of the two main challenges in energy, demonstrates a startling lack of insight, or candour.

“The Government relies on the sleight-of-hand that fossil fuel exports are somebody else’s national accounting problem. They need to understand that the planet and the global economy are integrated. New Zealand is a part of it, and its fate is our fate.

“This is a Government deeply in denial over climate change and the opportunity to create a clean green economy.

“Denmark has adopted a plan to be fossil fuel free by 2050, without reliance on nuclear energy or carbon capture and storage. The plan will create jobs and give them an edge in the 21st century post-carbon global economy.

“New Zealand can do the same. If we were to secure just 1 percent of the global renewable energy market in the next 5 years, we’d create a $5.8 billion new industry here, with 60,000 more green jobs.

“The Green Party is developing an economic plan to take advantage of these real opportunities and make us more competitive in the 21st century.”