CLIMATE CLIMB TO CUT SYNTHETIC NITROGEN FERTILISER
On 1 October 2020, five climbers have scaled the Fertiliser Association building in Wellington. They unfurled a banner containing 30,000 names of people who have signed our petition calling on the Government to phase out synthetic nitrogen fertiliser, for the good of our climate and our rivers.
As we approach the election, let’s make sure all political parties know the groundswell of support for a phase-out of synthetic nitrogen fertiliser. The most impactful thing you can do right now is share the petition to spread the word and get even more people on board!
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Find your name on the banner
Why phase it out?
Simply put, synthetic nitrogen fertiliser is driving industrial dairying, which is New Zealand’s biggest climate polluter.
Synthetic nitrogen fertiliser causes rapid grass growth, meaning more cows can be kept on the land. Too many cows = too much climate pollution. Too many cows are ruining our rivers and our futures.
Synthetic nitrogen fertiliser run-off gets into our waterways and makes them sick. And there’s evidence it could make us sick, too. Right now, the Ministry of Health is looking into the links between nitrate levels in drinking water and colorectal cancers.
What do we want instead?
As we head into this election, we need any political party serious about the climate crisis to commit to phasing out synthetic nitrogen fertiliser. You can check out the commitments the parties have made here.
We also need the next government to invest in shifting Aotearoa to regenerative farmers that works with nature, not against it. Across the country, there’s a growing number of farmers already creating thriving farms without the need for synthetic nitrogen fertiliser.
Regenerative farming means treating farms as an ecosystem, not a factory. Read more about regenerative farming here.
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Opportunity climate policy a step in the right direction
Greenpeace Aotearoa has welcomed Opportunity’s policy to cut agricultural methane as a vital step toward tackling NZ’s biggest source of pollution.
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Greenpeace pledges to prevent construction of Aussie-owned coal-powered fertiliser factory
Greenpeace Aotearoa has pledged to oppose a proposed coal-powered fertiliser factory from being built in Southland.
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Why does Greenpeace campaign against Fonterra?
Fonterra is the worst climate polluter in Aotearoa, and its emissions are increasing. Greenpeace has been campaigning against Fonterra’s pollution for years.
There’s a simple equation that’s wrecking our climate:
More synthetic nitrogen fertiliser = more cows = more climate pollution.
In July, we stood up against the chemical driving NZ’s biggest climate polluter: industrial dairying. We blockaded agri-chemical company Ballance’s synthetic nitrogen fertiliser factory, stopping trucks distributing this climate-wrecking chemical for over seven hours. But the movement against synthetic fertiliser is growing. And any political party serious about climate action must phase out synthetic fertiliser for good. Let’s make it happen!