New Zealand’s Green Party is calling on the coalition Government to “stand firm and work with allies to progress climate action” as new United States President Donald Trump signals his intent to withdraw from the Paris Climate Accords once again.
“Every human being, from Aotearoa to the United States of America, lives on the same planet,” Greens co-leader and climate spokesperson Chlöe Swarbrick says.
“Every action, of any Government, that increases climate changing emissions increases the frequency and severity of catastrophes like the Los Angeles fires or our North Island’s Cyclone Gabrielle.
“Trump is talking about colonising Mars while scorching Earth.
“He’s right that ‘a radical and corrupt establishment has extracted power and wealth’ from citizens, but he’s giving that system a shot of steroids by enabling more corporate profiteering from polluting fossil fuels.
“Regular people pay the price while billionaires get privatised firefighter forces.”
Swarbrick says if the US withdraws from the Paris Agreement it will join Iran, Libya and Yemen as the only nations “unwilling to formally cooperate on securing our collective future”.
“[Prime Minister] Christopher Luxon talks at length about how he’s got to work with international leaders even if he disagrees with them,” she says.
“How about working with those we apparently agree with to just take action on climate change?
“The climate crisis is a ticking time bomb – one we, perversely, actually know the code to diffuse.
“We either transform our economy into something that serves people and planet, or watch it go up in flames.
“Trump’s election requires us to show what we stand for and do it, instead of hiding behind the big boys.
“Christopher Luxon can and should set an ambitious Nationally Determined Contribution (NDC) for 2035, scrap opening new fossil fuel mines and drilling and actually commit to meeting our 2030 NDC.”
- Read the Times’ recent story on the devastating fires in Los Angeles here: California fires impact Kiwi Angelenos – Times
