The wild fires burning in Hawke’s Bay and near Christchurch are an unfortunate sign of things to come if action isn't taken by governments to halt the climate crisis, the Green Party said today. The Ministry for the Environment estimates that longer and more frequent droughts, combined with water shortages, are likely to increase the risk of wildfires in Hawke's Bay and parts of Canterbury. “The wild fires we are seeing in the Hawke’s Bay and around Christchurch mirror long-term...

Official briefings show that the Government will fall short of its target for reducing climate pollution by 85%, despite Climate Change Minister Paula Bennett saying the Government is on track to meet it, the Green Party said today. In October 2016 Paula Bennett wrote an opinion piece titled ‘We're on the Right Track on Tackling Climate Change’, in which she claimed the Government had a plan to meet its targets, including an “ambitious” electric vehicles programme. However, a briefing to...

The extreme weather around New Zealand is a sign of things to come if action isn't taken by governments to halt the climate crisis, the Green Party said today. On Wednesday, the US National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration declared 2016 as the hottest recorded year on earth, surpassing 2015 and 2014 as the previous hottest years. “The extremely dry conditions Northlanders are facing right now, and the storms that are rolling through the upper South and lower North Islands, mirror...

KiwiRail’s plan to replace its electric locomotives with a dirty diesel-powered fleet is backwards and bad news for New Zealand, the Green Party said today. The Green Party understands that KiwiRail will today announce a plan to phase out its 16 electric locomotives responsible for freight between Hamilton and Palmerston North. The electric locomotives will be replaced with Chinese-made diesel locomotives. “We are very disappointed by KiwiRail’s decision to abandon our electric freight trains and infrastructure. Many New Zealanders will...

News that just one small exploration permit has been awarded in the latest oil and gas Block Offer shows it’s time for the Government to give up its fossil fuel strategy and embrace clean energy, the Green Party said today.  Previous Block Offers have usually seen 10 or more permits awarded for total areas up to 46,000 sq km, while this year the single permit awarded has an area of just 219 sq km. “With just one local company getting...

National needs to do an about-face on climate change if we want New Zealand to stop setting new records for the hottest year ever, the Green Party said today. The National Institute for Water and Atmospheric Research (NIWA) predicts that 2016 will be the hottest ever recorded in New Zealand, breaking the previous record set in 1998. The record confirms the longer-term global trends of climate change. “2016 is going to be the hottest year on record and things are...

The supposedly "business-friendly" National Government is out-of-step with the growing number of New Zealand companies that want stronger action on climate change, the Green Party said today. More than 50 businesses, leading New Zealanders, and non-governmental organisations today presented an open letter to Climate Change Minister Paula Bennett calling for action on the issue. The call comes just days after New Zealand’s climate policy was given the lowest ranking of ‘very poor’ in the international Climate Change Performance Index. “Major...

National's two Fossil of the Day awards for hypocrisy on climate change shows it’s not doing much better than climate denialists like Donald Trump, the Green Party said today. At the international climate conference in Marrakech, New Zealand received two Fossil of the Day awards – presented by environmental NGOs to countries obstructing action on climate change. New Zealand received one award for calling on other countries to end fossil fuel subsidies, despite continuing to subsidise oil and gas exploration in...

Global climate experts have exposed an enormous credibility gap between the National Government's rhetoric on climate change and its actions, the Green Party said today. New Zealand’s response to climate change has today been labelled ‘inadequate’ for the fourth year in a row by Climate Action Tracker – an international group of climate science researchers. New Zealand is ranked below the European Union, China, USA and India. "Climate experts are effectively calling out the National Government for greenwashing," said Green...

New Zealand and other countries must step up and take the lead on climate change action following Donald Trump’s election, the Green Party said today. Donald Trump has previously said he would take the US out of the Paris Climate Agreement, and rescind President Obama's executive actions on climate change. “Now more than ever, we must put our planet’s future first, and ensure the progress we’ve made on climate change doesn’t go to waste," Green Party Co-leader Metiria Turei said....