New Zealand PM Jacinda Ardern opens UN climate summit with pledge to lead way on food production
New York: Prime Minister Jacinda Ardern has told world leaders at the UN Climate Action Summit that New Zealand is “determined” to be the most sustainable food producer in the world.
The high-level meeting in New York has been billed as 2019’s key political event for climate change and Ms Ardern was personally invited to give the opening leaders’ address.
“We are determined that New Zealand can and will play our part in the global effort,” Ms Ardern said.
“The situation is stark. It will not be easy.
“But our generation - we - have it within our grasp, not just to prevent the worst, but to build the best possible world for the generations to come.”
She said New Zealand would lead the way on international collaboration on agriculture and was “determined to show that we can be the most sustainable food producers in the world”.
Climate activist and Swedish schoolgirl Greta Thunberg earlier gave an emotional appeal to world leaders, asking how they dared focus on growth when people were dying due to climate change.
The 16-year-old said: “Change is coming whether you want it or not”.
Ms Ardern admitted New Zealand’s global emissions had increased a little over 23 per cent since 1990 and net emissions by 65 per cent.
But she said the government had an ambitious agenda and the situation was starting to turn around. “Our gross emissions peaked in 2006. Over 80 per cent of our electricity already comes from renewable hydro and wind.” Acting Prime Minister Winston Peters told RNZ’s Morning Report the Prime Minister’s focus on being a sustainable food producer was not dialling back her ‘nuclear-free moment’ rhetoric in the leadup to the 2017 election. “What she’s saying is that because of the framework and shape of our economy and our dependence of course on agricultural production, our job is to ensure that we go forward maintaining that production but with a whole new set of criteria in a prescription that is sustainable, that is climate change friendly and that takes the farming community with us,” he said.