Crew on Solid Energy's coal ship, the Hellenic Sea, power-hose Greenpeace activists - 2008
This is the first time the Rainbow Warrior has been used to
block another ship in New Zealand.
It has anchored in front of 225-metre bulker the Hellenic Sea,
which carries up to 60 thousand tonnes of export coal from State
Owned Enterprise Solid Energy.
"We're up here today to demonstrate to New Zealanders that
climate change is not solved and to show the world that New
Zealand's two main political parties are not doing enough to help
solve it," said Greenpeace Campaign Director Carmen Gravatt from
onboard the Warrior.
Greenpeace is calling on the New Zealand Government to get
serious on climate change, including putting a cap on coal exports,
halting the expansion of coal mining and strengthening the
emissions trading scheme (ETS) so it discourages the burning of
coal in New Zealand (1).
"We are fast running out of time to act on climate change, yet
New Zealand continues to mine, export and burn coal in gross
quantities, and there are plans to expand all three activities
(2)," said Ms Gravatt.
"The New Zealand Government seems more concerned with climate
policies that look good rather than ones that actually solve the
problem.
"Not only are we failing domestically, with skyrocketing
emissions and an ETS that's failing to deter domestic coal use, but
we're also upping our contribution to the global problem by
allowing the expansion of coal exports.
"The Government has put some commendable climate policies in
place, such as a renewable electricity target, but the good of this
is undone if we're still exporting the problem to other
countries.
"It is, as the Climate Change Minister himself pointed out this
week, not called "global" warming for nothing. Emissions anywhere
in the world affect us all, and we shouldn't be adding to them.
"As a developed country we should be taking a leadership role on
this issue and advocating for a global switch to cleaner
technology; not plying other countries with climate-killing
coal."
Greenpeace says as well as a cap on coal exports and a halt to
the expansion of coal mining in New Zealand, every political party
needs to set a domestic emissions reduction target of 30 per cent
by 2020 (3) to ensure New Zealand actually reduces its
emissions.
Contact: Carmen Gravatt - Campaign Director on the Rainbow
Warrior - 021 302251
Kathy Cumming - Communications onboard the Rainbow Warrior -
021 495216
High-resolution images and video of the activity will be
available free of charge at: http://www.greenpeace.org.nz/media
(Multiple images can be added to the 'lightbox' and downloaded
as a
single zip file).
Images and video contact: Greg McNevin - (based in Auckland
office) - 021577556
(1) New Zealand's largest coal exporter, State Owned
Enterprise Solid Energy, is aggressively trying to expand the
domestic market for coal in New Zealand. Its 2007 Annual Report
(p17) details plans to convert more industrial users from gas to
coal. Clearly the government's emissions trading scheme is no
deterrent, if Solid Energy thinks that even with a price on
emissions from industrial coal burning under the scheme, there will
continue to be demand for coal to burn in NZ. The ETS needs to
auction rather than give away free emissions permits for industrial
pollution (for example on-site coal burning). The present proposal
is for the sector to receive 90 per cent of its emissions permits
for free. Solid Energy, a state-owned enterprise, clearly
recognises that even with the proposed ETS in place, there is
potential to expand the coal industry in New Zealand.
(2) In 2007 a total of 4.80 million tonnes of coal was mined
by state-owned enterprise Solid Energy, a growth of 130,000 tonnes
compared to 2006. Out of this 4.80 million, almost half (2.19
million tonnes) was exported. (see 2007 Solid Energy Annual Report
and Accounts - page 6) And as well as expansion of mining for
export, Solid Energy is actively looking for opportunities to grow
the market for coal both within New Zealand and internationally.
(see 2007 Solid Energy Annual Report and Accounts - page 17-18)
This could well lead to more industrial use of coal in New Zealand.
It also demonstrates the weakness of the government's emissions
trading scheme as it currently stands. Solid Energy clearly does
not view the scheme as a deterrent to coal use.
(3) Emission reduction targets in themselves don't stop
climate change. They do however set the scene for what needs to be
achieved, and give a clear signal to policy makers that they should
formulate policies capable of achieving the target set. The
Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change has identified a range of
25-40% reductions by 2020 for developed countries like New Zealand
as necessary in order to put the world on track to avoid climate
catastrophe. Greenpeace is calling for the New Zealand Government
and all political parties to set an emissions reduction target of
30 per cent by 2020. Countries that are serious about taking a
leadership position on climate change have set national targets.
The UK has set a target of 20% by 2010 - this is above and beyond
its Kyoto commitment. It is expected to achieve a reduction of
almost 17% as a result. Germany has a domestic target of 40%
reductions from 1990 levels by 2020, which it's on track to meet.
Even Australia, a former laggard when it comes to climate, now has
a long term overall emission reduction target. Sweden recently
agreed on an emission reduction range of 75-90% by 2050. The
National Party has set a policy of 50 per cent emission reductions
by 2050. This is not nearly enough. By 2050 we need to have reduced
our emissions by a minimum of 80 per cent.
For a more thorough examination of the Emissions Trading Scheme
see www.greenpeace.org.nz/ets-report