Broken promises on environment

Inaction on the Rio Summit has been condemned, writes Matt Stewart and Shabnam Dastgheib. ‘‘Almost every environmental performance indicator points to deterioration in the New Zealand environment.’’

Twenty years of broken promises and failures to meet environmental obligations have left New Zealand with little to be proud of, according to a new ‘‘wake-up call’’ made public today.

The World Wildlife Fund report, Beyond Rio, has slated successive governments for failing the environment since promises made at the original Rio Earth Summit in 1992, and says New Zealand risks some of the highest rates of biodiversity loss on Earth unless urgent action is taken.

The 1992 United Nations conference brought world leaders together to set out a global agenda for action. Countries made promises and left with a set of responsibilities. The report, which has the backing of prominent scientists, says that 20 years later, New Zealand has little to be proud of.

Released today, it leaves no doubt that the country needs to urgently rectify broken promises or risk becoming a case study for some of the highest rates of biodiversity loss in recent times, Waikato University professor David Hamilton said.

‘‘Almost every environmental performance indicator points to deterioration in the New Zealand environment, particularly in biodiversity across freshwater, marine and terrestrial systems.’’

The report says the country has failed to stem the loss of marine and terrestrial biodiversity, reduce greenhouse gas emissions, fully incorporate sustainability into education, ensure fisheries do not exceed ecological limits or clean up waterways.

It says successive New Zealand governments have failed to live up to promises made in 1992 and at the followup summit in 2002 in Johannesburg.

In the report, WWF chairman Jmorgan Williams says the Rio summit was a time of aspiration, and each nation left with an important set of responsibilities after agreeing to an unprecedented global agenda.

Dr Williams sees the report as a wakeup call. ‘‘We cannot afford another 20 years of inaction. For our most critical sustainability issues – freshwater, greenhouse gases, native biodiversity and fisheries – this Government, and its successors, must not only make good on the promises made in 1992, but significantly step up efforts.’’ National Institute of Water and Atmospheric Research principal climate scientist James Renwick said NZ had behaved like many other nations and the continued failure to act was likely to bring a climate with grave consequences for food production and economic stability. ‘‘Instead of tackling the problem, we have squandered the last 20 years.’’

Labour environment spokesman Grant Robertson said the cuts in this year’s Budget came from areas such as resource management, water management, marine environment and Treaty settlements. ‘‘The minister may be hoping that, by keeping her head down, she will get away with not having to explain the cuts. Unfortunately, all it does is highlight the Government’s aversion to making environmental issues a priority.’’