Re: ‘A percentage of a percentage’, Darrin Heaven (Times, July 6).
Darrin Heaven is quite right. New Zealand’s contribution to greenhouse gas emissions is infinitesimal and a reduction to zero would make little difference to global warming. The same can be said for every other arbitrary set or geographic group of 5 million people. So it’s business as usual for New Zealand.
Wait a minute. Small contributors like New Zealand are responsible for nearly a third of global emissions; two thirds comes from 10 large countries.
Historically, the US has emitted twice as much as China and now the Trump-appointed crazies on the Supreme Court have sided with the fossil fuel billionaires and Republican states to keep burning coal.
We will depend more and more on China to save civilisation.
China is building new solar and wind generation in excess of 100GW a year. In context, New Zealand’s total all sources is 10GW. China’s industrial areas are highly susceptible to sea level rise and if Mr Heaven thinks China will let Kiwis bull**** their way through this crisis, I have a coal mine to sell him.
Dennis Horne,
Howick
