NZ to go big on climate change
As Prime Minister Jacinda Ardern makes her first appearance on the world stage, newly minted Climate Change Minister James Shaw heads to Europe, to tell the world about New Zealand’s change of direction on climate change.
The Green Party leader will leave for the CPO23 climate change meeting in Germany on Friday evening, and he’s stopping to see the Pope on the way.
Shaw and Pacific People’s Minister Aupito William Sio would also meet with Pope Francis in Rome as part of a Pacific Island Leaders Forum discussion with the head of the Catholic Church. Shaw said the Pope had been outspoken on the issue of climate change.
The aim of the meeting was to lift the profile of the challenges the Pacific Islands faced.
‘‘We want to really show that we stand with our Pacific Island neighbours,’’ Shaw said.
Shaw said COP23, which would take place in the German city of Bonn, was not a decision-making meeting but it would provide New Zealand with an important opportunity.
‘‘It’s also the first opportunity for the new government of Jacinda Ardern and us to stand up on the world stage and say, there is a significant change in New Zealand’s policy around climate change.
‘‘And we plan to lift our ambition massively and go from being something of a follower, to one of the world’s leading countries in the fight around climate change.’’
Shaw said New Zealand had received a lot of criticism for not really doing anything to reduce greenhouse emissions, ‘‘and I think that criticism was valid’’.
Now New Zealand could tell other countries it had a plan to be a carbon neutral economy by the year 2050, which would put it in the leading pack of countries when it came to commitments on fighting climate change.
COP23 would also be a chance for Pacific Island nations to be heard, with Fiji leading the meeting.
‘‘This is the first time a small island developing state has presided over the COP. This is important, because these countries are particularly vulnerable to climate impacts such as threats to food and water supplies, and energy security,’’ Shaw said.
Sio said the government and Pacific peoples needed to speak together in responding to climate change.
Sio said the government would work with regional partners and organisations, and review migration policy with the minister of immigration, to establish a better approach to deal with the ‘‘very real issue’’ facing Pacific nations.
The Labour-led Government said it was in the early stages of discussing how to establish a new visa category relating to people displaced by climate change. Shaw said he hoped to make ‘‘significant progress’’ on the plan by 2020.