Post COP21 when an international consensus has been reached that the world is facing a climate change induced catastrophe National is planning on doing something, well sort of.
Paula Bennett has announced that it is a matter of when and not if the Government will wind back the one for two carbon credit scheme introduced by National in 2009. The scheme effectively halved the cost of carbon credits for major polluters.
From Radio New Zealand:
The so-called one-for-two scheme was introduced in the depth of the Global Financial Crisis to minimise the economic impact of fighting climate change.
It meant that people and companies such as petrol firms would have to pay for only half the value of their emissions via purchases of so-called carbon credits.
Typically, these came from forestry companies whose trees absorbed carbon, as they grew, and were sold on the Emissions Trading Scheme (ETS).
But Mrs Bennett told the audience this concession would go.
“This isn’t really a case of if we remove one-for two, but more when and how,” she told her audience.
“It was always a temporary measure.
She has effectively conceded that the ETS is not working.
“It is abundantly clear that if the ETS is going to work, carbon must cost more than it does right now.”
Mrs Bennett added the ETS, which was intended to curb emissions, was not working well.
There would need to be more investment in tree planting, and companies emitting large quantities of greenhouse gases would have to do more than they did now.
Credit where credit is due the Government is moving slowly, ever so slowly to try and make the ETS work. Another indicator is the recent change to the ETS so that cheap fraudulent foreign issued carbon credits could no longer be used to satisfy Kyoto Protocol obligations. This caused the price of credits to increase from cents to over ten dollars a unit. It is at these levels that local carbon sink projects start to become viable.
But you have to wonder at the pace of change. The world is facing its greatest threat and the Government shows no sign of understanding the urgency. If you want a sense of the urgency following are some of the more notable comments about climate change made over the years.
Climate change is a global problem and a concerted international effort is required to combat it.”
If there’s no action before 2012, that’s too late. What we do in the next two to three years will determine our future. This is the defining moment.
For all the immediate challenges that we gather to address this week — terrorism, instability, inequality, disease — there’s one issue that will define the contours of this century more dramatically than any other, and that is the urgent and growing threat of a changing climate”.
Climate change is a problem which can no longer be left to a future generation.”
We must now agree on a binding review mechanism under international law, so that this century can credibly be called a century of decarbonisation”.
And even this doozie from John Key in 2007:
The National Party will ensure that New Zealand acts decisively to confront this challenge.
The scientific consensus is clear: human-induced climate change is real and it’s threatening the planet. There are some armchair sceptics out there, but I’m not one of them.
All New Zealanders want to preserve our world and the way of life it affords us, our children and our grandchildren. That ideal is not the preserve of the Labour and Green Parties – it’s a Kiwi instinct.
We are fair-minded people, and tackling climate change requires global action – and, as a responsible international citizen, New Zealand should stand up and be counted.
So how about it National? How about acting decisively to confront this most pressing of challenges. You have had seven long years …
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