Letter: New Zealand has nothing to say

OPINION: Flying uses oil and produces greenhouse gases. Yet it is suggested that more people fly to Copenhagen where they can talk to one another about the enormous challenge of climate change while themselves adding to the problem.

Just last week, climate scientist Jim Salinger and actor Lucy Lawless were ready to pay for Prime Minister John Key to go, and now the Government is offering free trips to two iwi leaders, as if being Maori gives an understanding of global warming.

The amounts involved are considerable. A target to stop global warming would be for a reduction to 1 to 1.3 tonnes a year for each person. A single return flight from Auckland to Europe produces 10 tonnes of CO2 a passenger, which is six to 10 times as much.

In any case, our representatives have nothing useful to say. Having signed up to Kyoto, New Zealand has done nothing. In fact, our emissions rose by 39.2 per cent between 1990-2007.

This country needs to keep its head down in shame and start to clean up its act, not to pack Copenhagen with more chatterers.

Dr JOHN ROBINSON

Island Bay

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Kris   #1   06:41 pm Nov 27 2009

NZ's contribution to global greenhouse gas emissions is 0.2%.

Getting rid all of our livestock (where 50% of our emissions come from) would probably get us to 0.1%. Oh, and put us in the poorhouse.

Get over it. We don't matter in this debate. Let those who matter fight it out and leave our PM to get on with running the country.

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