The Greens confronted the government about their shameful position at the Vienna climate change talks in Parliament yesterday, asking whether they could
confirm that New Zealand’s delegation to the United Nations climate change talks in Vienna tried to block non-binding emission reduction targets of 25 to 40 percent for industrialised countries; if so, was this delegation acting on his instructions or instructions from a member of the Cabinet?(Corrected gender to match what was actually read out)
In response, the Minister denied the claims, accused NGOs of getting it wrong, and then said this:
I can confirm that the representatives of the New Zealand Government explicitly noted that we are willing to take on binding targets.But note what's missing here: any mention of the level of those targets. While supposedly denying that the government had opposed the 25% - 40% reduction target, Parker was in fact issuing a "non-denial denial", which carefully circumvented the facts at issue and denied only by implication. Which as Green co-leader Russel Norman points out, is as much as an admission of guilt. If they'd actually supported the target, Parker would have simply said so, and that would have been the end of the matter.
So, to reiterate: the government are two-faced, lying, ratfink bastards. And if we want real progress on climate change, the only way to get it is to ensure that the next government is utterly beholden to the Greens.
