231955 users have signed on
Share this page
Sign On
Latest comments
- New Zélande is a so beautiful
3 weeks 6 days ago - You don't know what power you
11 weeks 5 days ago - You don't know what power you
11 weeks 5 days ago - New Zealand ♥ Lucy Lawless
3 weeks 4 days ago - This is something that
12 weeks 1 day ago - We are at week's World
12 weeks 4 days ago - Esta chegando o dia mundial
13 weeks 6 days ago - Amazon deforestation falls
14 weeks 6 days ago - This was such an eye opening
15 weeks 5 hours ago - Vasamento no Golfo do México
15 weeks 3 days ago
Government’s Copenhagen target consultation starting next week. Have your say!
Government’s Copenhagen target consultation starting next week. Have your say!
The Government has announced a round of public consultations starting next week, on what NZ’s 2020 emissions reductions target should be. And we need you to be there.
In December governments will converge at Copenhagen aiming to reach a new climate agreement and urgent and ambitious reductions are being encouraged by climate scientists.
The Government hasn’t given the NZ people much time to have their say on this crucial issue. But we still see it as a good opportunity for all the thousands of people that have Signed On (almost 60,000 now!) – to get vocal about the target that New Zealand needs to set – 40 percent by 2020. Government Ministers will take just two weeks to visit only nine centres in New Zealand to hear what the public think, starting Monday!
We need to mobilise as many people as possible to attend the meetings and show their support for 40 by 2020 targets.
Sign On supporters will be out front of the meetings beforehand each night signing people on and also distributing stickers that people can wear into the meeting showing their support for the needed 40 percent by 2020 target.
Times and venues:
- Mon July 6 – Wellington – 7.30pm – 9pm, Oceania Room, Te Papa.
- Tues July 7 – Auckland – 7.30pm – 9pm, Princes Ballroom B and C. Hotel Hyatt Regency, Corner of Princes Street and Waterloo Quadrant, Auckland Central.
- Wed July 8 – Christchurch – 7.30pm – 9pm, Hall C, Convention Centre, Kilmore Street,
- Thur July 9 – Dunedin – 7.30pm – 9pm, Clifford Skeggs Gallery, Dunedin Centre, 1 Harrop Street, Dunedin
- Friday July 10, Queenstown – 7.30pm – 9pm, Icon Room, Heritage Hotel, 91 Fernhill Drive.
- Monday July 13 – Hamilton – 7.30pm – 9pm, Waikato Room, Sky City Hamilton, 346 Victoria Street, Hamilton
- Tuesday 14 July – New Plymouth – 7.30pm – 9pm, Conference Room Plymouth International, Corner Courtenay and Leach Streets, New Plymouth
- Wednesday 15 July – Napier - 7.30pm – 9pm, Ocean Suite East Pier, Hardinge Road Ahuriri, Napier
- Friday 17 July – Nelson – 7.30pm – 9pm, Waimea Room Rutherford Hotel, Trafalgar Square, Nelson.
The consultation won’t be the final word on the target. This is simply to find New Zealand’s opening offer at the international negotiations. Let’s make it as strong as possible. We’ll be campaigning for 40 by 2020 right up to the last second of the last day because the future of the planet isn’t up for negotiation.
Can't make it to a meeting?
We have a solution! Create a short message and we'll project it on to a wall outside the consultation meeting where it will be very hard to miss.
Post ideas and read more on the forum
You can be creative in the way you express your questions, to get ideas and to post your own, go to the Sign On forum. The forum is the place to discuss ideas, tactics, and opinions. We need people to engage to build a critical mass. Please get on and contribute your ideas.
Internet based consultation for those who can’t attend
You can submit questions for the Minister for Climate Change Issues’ online video conference to be held from 7.30pm on Monday 20 July at www.r2.co.nz/20090720. Questions can be submitted in advance at 2020target@mfe.govt.nz
You can also email the Minister with your views to nick.smith@ministers.govt.nz or by post to
Hon Dr Nick Smith,
Minister for Climate Change Issues,
PO Box 10362,
WELLINGTON 6143.
Share:
- Gareth Hughes's blog
- Login or register to post comments
Comments
Can I just say, that this was an extremely "rushed" consultation announcement.
Yeah i agree with Aaron this was really rushed. I didnt know about the meeting till now so i was unable to attend the Auckland meeting which has greatly disappointed me.
yes, it is a shame the government only let anybody know about it a few days beforehand - you should mention that in your email to Nick Smith :)
I wonder if Mr Key has managed to grasp the connection between the rest of the world's concern/action over climate change- and NZ's reliance on these same countries to power our two main 'industries'- tourism and farming?
On the tourism front, the UK for example is introducing a miles-based levy on all flights-not surprisingly NZ's flight price will have the largest levy added. People are already beginning to question their flying habits and this is one extra 'reason' not to go to NZ. This was why Helen Clark was trying to sell NZ worldwide (and internally) as becoming the first zero carbon economy- we're pretty much the furthest place from anywhere! Shame kiwis last year appeared more interested in 'change' than actual policy when they voted.
On the agricultural front, recent full page adverts by British butter companies have appeared in newspapers in London-including the Metro, read by millions of commuters each day. These adverts talk about the food miles associated with Anchor butter, pointing out how far it's travelled-and encouraging people to buy locally produced butter. Food miles however only tell part of the story- the carbon footprint of the whole production cycle is what's important-yet I dont see Anchor or NZ Agri/Tourism Board placing similar adverts etc to explain this and counter the other arguments. Brits are now also starting to turn away from imported produce as buying locally becomes increasingly important. NZ therefore has to convince the world it's worth buying these products, esp when some like lamb, command a premium price.
NZ cannot therefore keep its head in the sand, think it's immune from the rest of the world's notice if we don't perform, or that its 'clean green image' is untouchable. As the 'green agenda' continually becomes mainstreamed into all aspects of policy, legislation and govt's/people's actions, NZ wont be able to hide its poor environmental record (e.g., NZ is still the only country in the OECD without emissions testing as part of vehicle WOF), by showing a few 'Lord of the Rings landscapes' and producing '100% pure NZ' advertising campaigns. Much of its middle class travel market from Europe for example is becoming far savvier about what all this means, and won't be so easily duped as they have been in the past.
While ACT/National continue to question the science of climate change in Select Committee and continue with road building and other anti-environment policies, and NZ languishes at the bottom of international league tables on Kyoto performance, it risks playing a very dangerous game on the international stage...even lil ole Aotearoa can't hide from something this big!...
Clearly the National government is only going through the motions to appear somewhat democratic. They will not commit to this target of their own volition, I think that's very apparent.
With regard to global warming, the main problem is that very few people understand the problem and the general media has done a piss poor job of conveying the message. Understandably the media don't care, headlines and reader numbers are what's important to them. I bet many will sign this petition without truly understanding what's at stake.
If more people understood the consequences and the urgency, they'd be signing up in droves.