New Zealand's refusal to offer a target at Bonn has resulted in another Fossil of the Day award. At the last Bonn meeting, New Zealand got Fossil of the Day for "pulling the wool over the eyes of delegates."
Fossil of the Day is awarded to Government delegations by the Climate Action Network of over 450 environmental and social organisations from all over the world including Greenpeace, WWF and OXFAM.
New Zealand came third, after Saudi Arabia and Russia.
The explanation given for New Zealand placing was:
"The Third Prize was awarded to New Zealand. New Zealand received their award for refusing to table a mid-term national emissions reduction target at yesterday afternoon's AWG-KP Plenary and for saying that it will table a target in August. New Zealand has dismantled much of its domestic climate change programme including: raiding the public transport budget to build more roads, overturning a partial ban on thermal power stations, abandoning a phase out of inefficient light bulbs and subsidising fossil fuel exploration."
Leon White, New Zealand citizen from Katikati accepted the award on behalf of New Zealand saying "New Zealand once claimed to be leaders on tackling climate change, then in the middle of the pack, but its now lagging behind."
It makes you proud, dunnit?