{"id":7853,"date":"2020-02-21T08:17:52","date_gmt":"2020-02-20T19:17:52","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.greenpeace.org\/new-zealand\/?p=7853"},"modified":"2024-07-12T08:56:48","modified_gmt":"2024-07-11T20:56:48","slug":"an-opportunity-to-support-a-strong-solar-and-wind-electricity-generation-strategy-for-new-zealand","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.greenpeace.org\/aotearoa\/story\/an-opportunity-to-support-a-strong-solar-and-wind-electricity-generation-strategy-for-new-zealand\/","title":{"rendered":"An opportunity to support a strong solar and wind electricity generation strategy for New Zealand"},"content":{"rendered":"\n

We\u2019re in a climate emergency. During a time when our friends and family members in Australia have lost their lives, homes, and livelihoods in devastating bushfires, and over a billion animals have died, the time for small, incremental changes has passed.<\/p>\n\t\t\t\n\t\t\t<\/a>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\n \t\t\t

\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\n\t\t\t\t\t\tSupport renewables now\n\t\t\t\t\t<\/a>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t

Have your say on strengthening NZ’s renewable energy strategy now<\/p>\n\t\t\t\t \n TAKE ACTION\n <\/a>\n \t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t<\/section>\n\t\n

What\u2019s needed is strong, visionary leadership to urgently power up New Zealand homes, schools and businesses with clean, renewable energy. Now\u2019s your chance to help make that happen.<\/strong><\/p>\n\n

The Government is consulting on how to boost clean energy in New Zealand. It\u2019s a good first step, but it\u2019s not ambitious enough to tackle the climate emergency. <\/p>\n\n

We need the Government to match the scale of this crisis with strong policies and funding.<\/p>\n\n

You can have your say now, but time is short. We\u2019ve written a submission for you to <\/strong>send. <\/p>\n\n

You can add your own message and \/ or edit our suggested submission.<\/p>\n\n

HAVE YOUR SAY HERE<\/a><\/div>\n\n
<\/div>\n\n

Here’s our suggested submission:<\/strong><\/p>\n\n

To the Energy Markets team at MBIE,<\/em><\/p>\n\n

I\u2019m sure you agree that everyone has the right to be safe and to thrive – our children, communities in New Zealand and overseas, the wildlife and wild places with which we share this Earth. But climate change, and the polluting companies that are causing it, are putting our wellbeing at risk. During a time when our friends and family members in Australia have lost their lives, homes, and livelihoods in devastating bushfires, and over a billion animals have died, the time for small, incremental changes has passed.<\/em><\/p>\n\n

While I strongly welcome this strategy to accelerate renewable energy and energy efficiency, the climate emergency that we\u2019re living through requires much more ambition than the outcomes that will flow from pursuing your preferred options alone. I urge you to pursue options that, first and foremost, cut New Zealand\u2019s emissions in line with the science. While it is logical to cut emissions in the most efficient and least disruptive way, the goal of actually cutting emissions cannot be compromised. We need to keep global heating below 1.5\u00b0C.<\/em><\/p>\n\n

It is worth noting the union movement\u2019s saying, \u201cthere are no jobs on a dead planet\u201d. Indeed, there is no economy without a stable climate. It is a fallacy to assume that we can trade off reducing emissions against costs to industry, as is done throughout this options paper. The costs of climate inaction and delay are well-documented and will always fall somewhere – if not onto polluting industries, then onto people, the natural world, the public purse and other sectors.<\/em><\/p>\n\n

In response to the options presented, I make the following general comments:<\/em><\/p>\n\n