Prime minister Helen Clark laid out a ambitious and amazing plan for the future of New Zealand. In her opening speech to parliament Clark laid out her plan for reduction in emissions, and increased use of renewable energy sources.
“I believe we can aspire to be carbon neutral in our economy and way of life,” she said.
In her speech Clark said New Zealand could set an example for the world on climate change as it did in the 1980s with its nuclear-free policies.
“We have to make a stand for our world, and for our own sake,” she said.(via)
This is no doubt an ambitious goal, powering an entire nation with enough renewables to become carbon neutral is going to take a radical shifting of how New Zealand gets power. The glut of fossil fuels in the worlds energy streams represents a dominate force in the economy and politics. Removing or even diverting that stream is going to be difficult, but not impossible. Clark plans on meeting these goals through a variety of methods.
They included replacing 3.4 per cent of its gasoline and diesel sales with biofuels by 2012. She promised that the government would lead by example, with six departments committed to achieving carbon neutrality by 2012 by reducing their emissions and offsetting them by planting trees.(via)
With their struggle to meet Kyoto measures it is unclear if New Zealand can achieve these laudable goals, but even if they become less reliant on fossil fuels it will be a good step in the right direction. What really makes this an interesting announcement is the fact that an elected leader is, leading. Something we are lacking in America. Clark’s has a plan, a vision, and is working to implement it. What is George W.’s plan? Leaders set the stage for the debate, and in New Zealand the stage is not “should we go renewable”, but “how fast can we go renewable”.
This is one of those, “they are doing it over there why can’t we do it here” posts. In point of fact Clark’s 8 years in power have seen NZ transform from a net carbon absorbing nation to a net carbon emitting one. Neutrality is no real achievement for a nation 2/3rds the size of Japan with 60% hydro power, heaps of forests and only 4m people.
This is partly to do with the 50% variations in assessments from year to year, partly because dairying is making good money and partly because forest growers are deeply angry with the Government due to its selfish policies. As a result they are cutting down trees before the Govt can fine them. In general the NZ Govt has completely failed to manage its climate change responsibility .
I agree. Helen Clark is a monstrous politician in the pockets of the timber industry who is simply looking to make political capital of climate change. I really don’t trust her.
3.4% from “biofuels” in 5 years. That’s like a fly spitting in a bowl of soup.
Sorry Naib, but both Helen Clark and John Howard speak with forked tongues.
Wow, I had no idea. You have to understand I have lived under the proud leadership (sarcasm) of one G Dubya Bush for the last couple of years. This has perhaps lowered my expectations of good leadership. Our nations government makes news when it admits global warming is real, let alone do something about it. But I have been so warned, I will look further into this Helen Clark and see what I can find.
Thanks for the heads up.
naib, Did you really think humans were different because they live on a different part of the rock?
All elected governments work pretty much the same way – money battles voters (in several areas). It is the human way.
“Sorry Naib, but both Helen Clark and John Howard speak with forked tongues”.
That is because they are both politicians – the nature of the beasts.
Helen Clark, for all her sins, is nonetheless consistent enough in her rhetoric that we can see where she is coming from, even when we are being shafted. You only have to live in Britain under Blair to apparaciate that quality.
I am approaching this “Carbon Neutral NZ” stuff cautiously, but that fact that NZ still has an independent (and benign) sense of its place in the world is something that should be encouraged
I agree Kiwi, and I felt that I approached her statements with a fair amount of caution in the post, pointing out that they are already having problems meeting the goals they have already set for themselves, etc. Living in America you can bet that I don’t get a very good sense of world politics unless I bother to follow all the news myself (on other countries websites no less), So I will admit I knew pretty much nothing about Helen Clark before I bothered to go looking.
I think in this instance, you needn’t know much about Clark to applaud her stance. It is a good thing for the world when a national leader lays down a vision such as this, instead of one involving the war against terror, or religiously devisive langauge. I am impressed by her example.
On a macro-political level, in NZ, Clark is either loved or loathed. She doesn’t have the most ‘warm and friendly’ personality, and as such, gets much ad-hominem criticism levelled at her. I accept what the other two comments have said about NZ’s climate change responsibilities, but I also believe Clark’s intentions are honest, whatever her interests. (A bit like Dubya in reverse, you could say)