"This is unprecedented internationally," said Greenpeace climate
campaigner Susannah Bailey. "It will help New Zealand defend its
clean green image, which has become increasingly tenuous of
late.
"The ban sends a clear message to power generators that fossil
fuels have no part to play in New Zealand's future, and we're
confident the next ten years will demonstrate that the security of
supply caveat (1) is unnecessary and that it's time we also began a
phase-out programme for all existing thermal generation.
"We're already generating 70 per cent of our electricity from
renewables and we have some of the richest and widest renewable
energy sources in the world. Last year Greenpeace commissioned a
major report into sustainable energy which found that we can
achieve 100 per cent renewable electricity by 2025 whilst
maintaining security of supply (2).
"What opponents of a thermal ban fail to acknowledge is that
there won't just be environmental gains from moving from fossil
fuels to renewables, but also significant economic and social
gains.
"The Greenpeace report shows that in the long run, renewable
energy will be cheaper than conventional energy sources and will
reduce New Zealand's dependence on imported fossil fuels, which
will only get more and more expensive.
But Ms Bailey qualified her support for the Climate Change
(Emissions Trading and Renewable Preference) Bill with
disappointment over the Government's flagship climate change policy
- the emissions trading scheme - also part of the legislation.
The emissions trading provisions follow two months of
consultation with business, NGOs and key stakeholders. Ms Bailey
said none of the changes proposed by Greenpeace had yet been made
and she looked forward to revisions during the legislative
process.
She said the Bill as it stands will not deliver the emissions
cuts necessary for New Zealand to do its bit in tackling climate
change.
"The emission trading scheme's success in terms of emissions
reductions depends almost entirely on the introduction of tight
international controls on greenhouse gas emissions. The Kyoto
negotiations taking place in Bali this week are the start of that
process.
"The moratorium on thermal generation puts the New Zealand
delegation in a credible position to go in to bat for the climate
at Bali. But if the New Zealand delegation is to maintain this
credibility, they must commit to emissions cuts of at least 30 per
cent below 1990 levels by 2020 and at least 80 per cent by
2050.
"How the delegation performs at Bali represents a major test of
the Government's long term commitment to tackling climate
change."
Other contacts: Susannah Bailey – Climate Campaigner - 021 905 582
Kathy Cumming – Climate Communications – 021 495 216
Notes: (1) The 10 year restriction on new baseload fossil-fuelled thermal electricity generation applies, except to the extent required to ensure the security of New Zealand’s electricity supply.
(2) - The New Zealand Energy Revolution: How to prevent climate chaos - http://www.greenpeace.org/new-zealand/press/reports/nz-energy-revolution-report
Exp. contact date: 2008-01-17 00:00:00