Govt slams on the brakes of climate action

The scrapping of the Clean Car Discount is an act of climate vandalism - and the Green Party is calling on the Government to release all the advice it received before making this move.

“I am so proud of what we have achieved with the Clean Car Discount over the last 18 months. It breaks my heart that this government is slamming on the brakes of climate action,” says the Green Party’s transport spokesperson, Julie Anne Genter.

“The Clean Car Discount is the single most effective climate policy implemented by any Government in New Zealand so far. It has prevented 2 megatonnes of climate pollution entering the atmosphere, led to cleaner air for people to breathe, and saved people thousands of dollars on fuel. It is as close to an ideal government policy intervention as you can get. In August this year, 60 percent of all new cars sold were electric or hybrid.

“It makes no sense whatsoever for the government to say they are intending to hit net zero by 2050 and at the same time roll back the most successful policies that are reducing our emissions right now. Earlier this week, the non-partisan Climate Change Commission made clear that addressing the upfront cost of electric vehicles is crucial for reducing transport emissions.

“The Clean Car Discount was designed in a way that meant people were working together to be part of the solution to climate change. People who need to buy higher polluting vehicles, for whatever reason, were also contributing to getting more zero-emissions and low-emissions vehicles on the road.

“Simeon Brown has provided no evidence to justify getting rid of the Clean Car Discount, only a bunch of culture war talking points and an ideological zeal to force people to get around in the most polluting forms of transport.

“It has been estimated that National’s decision to get rid of the clean car discount could result in 100,000 fewer electric vehicles on the road by 2030. This would increase carbon emissions by around 900,000 tonnes.

“There is a good chance that the Minister has been told this, and yet he is pressing ahead.

“I was a Minister for three years and helped design the clean car discount. I know Simeon Brown will have been advised on the impact of what he is doing. Mr. Brown, you owe it to New Zealanders to tell them just how much damage you are going to be doing to the climate,” says Julie Anne Genter.

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