‘We can help save the world’
Being small does not absolve New Zealand of responsibility when it comes to climate change.
That was the message of Climate Change Minister James Shaw when he took to the world stage to talk about the new Government’s change in tack when it comes to lowering emissions.
‘‘Being small does not absolve us of responsibility. On the contrary, being a developed country confers greater responsibility,’’ Shaw said to the COP23 climate change summit in Germany.
New Zealand’s emissions accounted for less than 1 per cent of the global total.
But adding up all the countries that contributed 1 per cent or less of global emissions, resulted in almost a quarter of the world’s total emissions.
‘‘If all the small emitters, like New Zealand, act faster, go further, then together we can make as much of a difference as any of the largest emitters in the world,’’ he said.
‘‘New Zealand is a small part of the world, and we are a remote part of the world, but we are still a part of the world. It is in our interest to help save it.’’
Shaw began his speech talking about former Labour prime minister David Lange.
‘‘A little over 30 years ago, a New Zealand prime minister, David Lange, declared that nuclear weapons were morally indefensible and that we would no longer play any part in the arms race that threatened to extinguish all life on Earth.
‘‘New Zealand declared ourselves to be a nuclear-free nation ... our new Government took office just 21 days days ago and our new prime minister, Jacinda Ardern, has already declared that climate change is the nuclear-free moment of our generation.’’
After the Labour-led Government took power, it promised to become a net zero-emission economy by 2050.
When New Zealand was at its best, it took the lead on important issues, Shaw said.
Commitment to slowing, or reducing, the effects of climate change had to be total, Shaw said.
‘‘As we here well know, most of the time politics is the art of compromise. It’s about negotiation. You come to an arrangement, you meet each other halfway. But you can’t negotiate with the climate itself. ‘‘
Shaw travelled to Germany with Pacific People’s Minister William Sio.