Thanks to Blogger TEAA for the News Alert, and Kudos to Fred Pearce for a very readable report.
New Zealand: More cows than people!
“It looks like the rest of the world is catching on to New Zealand’s dirty little secret.”
—NZ Green Party co-leader Russel Norman
“But my prize for the most shameless two fingers to the global community to New Zealand, a country that sells itself round the world as `clean and green’, but had increased greenhouse gas emissions by a whopping 22 percent since signing up to reduce them at Kyoto.” —Fred Pearce, The Guardian Newspaper, UK.
New Zealand emissions have risen by 22% since the country signed up to Kyoto protocol, Pearce says.
“As the world prepares for the Copenhagen climate negotiations next month, it is worth checking out the greenwash that has followed the promises made 12 years ago when the Kyoto protocol was signed.”
Whereas Britain and Germany have succeeded to cut emissions since 1990, Spain, Portugal, Ireland and Greece have increased their emissions by more than 25% and New Zealand by 22%, Pearce reports.
The US, Australia and Canada are the other major culprits, however, the other signatories to the Kyoto Protocol have not called them to account for reneging the agreement.
“New Zealand secured a generous Kyoto target, which simply required it not to increase its emissions between 1990 and 2010. But the latest UN statistics show its emissions of greenhouse gases up by 22%, or a whopping 39% if you look at emissions from fuel burning alone.”
Per capita emissions in New Zealand are 60% higher than in Britain, Pearce reported. In fact the emissions are so large that only Canada, the US, Australia and Luxembourg exceed them.
“In recent years a lot of Brits have headed for Christchurch and Wellington in the hope of a green life in a country where they filmed the Lord of the Rings. But it’s a green mirage.” Pearce says.
To rub our noses in it, last year New Zealand signed up to the UN’s Climate Neutral Network, a list of nations that are “laying out strategies to become carbon neutral.”
The small print, if you read them, tell a different story. “New Zealand has actually promised, it is a measly 50% in emissions by 2050 – something even the US can trump.”
Where do all these emissions come from?
“New Zealand turns out to be mining ever more filthy brown coal to burn in its power stations. It has the world’s third highest rate of car ownership. And, with more cows than people, the country’s increasingly intensive agricultural sector is responsible for approaching half the greenhouse gas emissions.” Pearce reports.
What is the UNEP ding about it?
Sadly, instead of the UN Environment Program removing New Zealand from its list of countries that have promised to opt for climate neutrality, the “steely guardians of the environment meekly say that the network ‘will not be policed… nor will UNEP verify claims.'” Pearce says.
Further exposing the UNEP scams and their climate chicanery, Pearce says:
“Indeed, it seems to go to great lengths to deny reality. Check the UNEP website and you will find an excruciating hagiography about a “climate neutral journey to Middle Earth”, in which everything from the local wines to air conditioning and Air New Zealand get the greenwash treatment.”
And here come the blatantly shameless advertising for which more than one person in UNEP must have been heavily bribed:
After extolling the country’s green credentials, it asks: “Have you landed in a dreamland?” Well, UNEP’s reporter certainly has. He cheers New Zealand’s “global leadership in tackling climate change”, when the country’s minister in charge of climate negotiations, Tim Groser, has been busy reassuring his compatriots that “we would not try to be ‘leaders’ in climate change.”
“This is not just political spin. It is also commercial greenwash.”
“New Zealand trades on its greenness to promote its two big industries: tourism and dairy exports. Groser says his country’s access to American markets for its produce is based on its positive environmental image. The government’s national marketing strategy is underpinned by a survey showing that tourism would be reduced by 68% if the country lost its prized ‘clean, green image,’ and even international purchases of its dairy products could halve.” Pearce reports.
Defying Reality
Pearce says New Zealand policies go against the reality of climate change: “The trouble is,” he asserts, “on the climate change front at least, that green image increasingly defies reality.” Read full report here.
The following links provide additional information on New Zealand’s false claims to a ‘clean, green image.’
Saatchi and Saatchi, the vampires of commercialism, with their corny slogans and downright dishonest tricks on “selling” New Zealand, are back, again, on the government payroll: “Our remoteness is our strength.” [Recall George Orwell’s famous slogan perpetuated by The Party:”War is Peace; Freedom is Slavery; Ignorance is Strength.” ]
[Note: Driving an average passenger car in the US over a year, traveling 12,500 miles (20,112 km), which burns about 581 gallons (2,200 liters) of gasoline, produces about 11,450 pounds (5.2 metric tons) of carbon dioxide. A couple on a return flight from the US to NZ produce as much CO2 as driving their car for about THREE years! A European/UK couple on a return flight to NZ produce more CO2 than in EIGHT years of driving.]
On a return flight from the United States to New Zealand, each visitor produces about 7.4 metric tons of CO2e pollution [11.1 metric tons of CO2e if flying from the US Atlantic coast]; a UK visitor produces about 17.64 metric tons of CO2.
Related Links:
Fire Earth 