12 September 2012
Parliamentary Commissioner for the Environment Dr Jan Wright says planned changes to the Emissions Trading Scheme will be a costly and environmentally damaging mistake. Greens climate change spokesperson Dr Kennedy Graham says the government has given up any pretence of trying to address climate change.
The changes are part of the ETS amendment Bill currently before a select committee. Dr Wright says she is particularly concerned with subsidies to polluters being locked in.“Right now we’re subsidising 95% of big polluters’ emissions. That was due to be phased out, albeit too slowly, but the Bill will leave those subsidies in place indefinitely.
“I am very concerned that the review process that would address these subsidies along with other ETS issues will no longer be compulsory but will occur only if the Minister wants it to.
“Heavily subsidised polluters have no incentive whatsoever to reduce their emissions when the tab for them is being picked up by the taxpayer.
“And if polluters are not paying for their emissions they’ve no incentive to reduce them.
“The government’s own estimate of the cost of this Bill to the taxpayer in just the next four years is over $330 million.
"The ETS is the main system New Zealand has for reducing our greenhouse gas emissions. Hollowing it out like this makes a farce of our climate change commitments.”
Green Party climate change spokesperson Dr Kennedy Graham says that while previous legislation has weakened the ETS, the changes proposed in the Bill render it toothless.
“Climate change is the biggest issue of our time. Yet it allowed just two weeks for submissions on its new measures – it would be embarrassing for such a failure to be given a proper public debate,” he says.
Dr Graham says the government places economic growth and trade above sustainability. And it treats the ETS as an inconvenience rather than a vital tool to combat climate change.
“The amended ETS will not deliver change. The government has its head in the sand over climate change.
“Not only was the submission period extremely short, but hearings were also being truncated, and the select committee was required to report back in mid-October,” says Dr Graham.
Sources: PCE and Green Party Media releases. To read the PCE submission, click here.