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Wednesday, September 07, 2005

National ignoring climate science

In June this year, the national science academies of the G8 nations, along with China, Brazil and India, published a statement asserting that the scientific evidence on climate change is now clear enough to take prompt action to reduce and mitigate emissions of greenhouse gases.

Last week I attended a science communication conference at Te Papa. Listening to National’s Paul Hutchison espouse the virtues of good science, I thought it ironic that National has decided to ignore the global scientific community. In light of the clear and widely acknowledged need for action, National’s proposal is that New Zealanders ditch the Kyoto Protocol and do less, not more, to curb greenhouse gas emissions. Hutchison’s argument was paradoxical - the evidence for climate change is inconclusive and the Kyoto Protocol is not up to the task – and, to paraphrase a late New Zealand politician with a nose for the truth, I could smell the petroleum on his breath.

Check out this for a neat review of all the parties' energy policies.

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