Back in August the government announced an utterly pathetic climate change target of 10% - 20% by 2020 - less than half the commitment it expected from everybody else. Today we learn that it might not even go that far:
Greenpeace is warning that the New Zealand Government could back out of its 10%-20% emissions reduction target, after New Zealand’s climate change Ambassador Adrian Macey told a journalist attending the climate change talks in Bangkok that New Zealand could offer a target weaker than 10% if it doesn’t get what it wants in the talks.Greenpeace points out that every other western nation has a unilateral base target - a level of reduction they commit to even if there is no deal. New Zealand doesn't. And our backwardness not only threatens the global climate - it also threatens our "clean and green" image and the export industries (like tourism and dairy) that depend on it.[...]
In an interview with Point Carbon, Ambassador Macey said, “If our conditions are not met we reserve the right to drop (our target) below 10 per cent.”
But then, that's National on the environment, isn't it? No commitment, no action, only massive subsidies to polluters to continue wrecking the planet.