Our world leading ETS

Today the government has imposed added costs on all New Zealanders, all because the National government say they want to do their bit for climate change. This is even though the Prime Minister’s own Chief Science Advisor has said ‘anything we do as a nation will in itself have little impact on the climate – our impact will be symbolic, moral and political.”

 
How moral is it that the National government seems more than happy to let Kiwi families, already struggling to pay their power bills, simply freeze as the ETS increases electricity prices - while millions of dollars go to forestry owners?

 
What would Nick Smith say to pensioners Kevin and Gabrielle Holden, who told ‘3 News’ on Tuesday night that they were down to one bar on their heater and who were now facing increased costs due to the ETS, so that foreign forest owners like Fujitsu Xerox Company, Oji Paper Company and ITOCHU Corporation could receive hundreds of millions of dollars.  When I asked him that question in Parliament yesterday, Dr Smith could only point to the $80 million that Marlborough Forest owners would receive under the ETS.
 
Dr Smith seems to think that the Holdens should take solace in the fact that forestry owners in Marlborough are going to benefit by $80 million.  It’s hard to comprehend that Dr Smith could be so out of touch with the struggles of ordinary New Zealanders and particularly the disadvantaged and those on low and fixed incomes. 

This may be symbolic and it may be political, but it CERTAINLY IS NOT MORAL.

The ETS will enable electricity generators like Meridian, which will receive a higher wholesale price for their electricity under the ETS to make windfall profits.  The Government will then be able to use this money to pay $2.6 billion to foresters between now and 2012. 55% of New Zealand’s forests are foreign owned.

Nick Smith continues to deny that New Zealand’s ETS is world leading. However, he said so himself in a speech in Parliament on the 24 September, 2009.

 
"This emissions trading scheme will be the first of any country outside Europe, and on 1 July 2010 will be the most comprehensive by including transport, industrial, and energy emissions. New Zealand is the first country in the world to include forestry, and under these amendments will be the first country in the world to include agriculture."

 Nick Smith in one of his recent Public Meetings about the ETS said that 5 of our top 10 trading partners have an ETS. When challenged to name them, he couldn’t. Then this morning on National Radio he said that three of our top ten trading partners have an ETS. This is incorrect. The fact is that one of our top ten trading partners have an ETS (The UK which comes under the EU scheme) and  four of our top twenty trading partners have one. All of these countries are  grouped together under the EU scheme. 80% of Europes trade is within Europe and 20% outside of Europe. Whereas 85% of New Zealands exports go to countries with no ETS.

Myself and Rodney Hide have been working hard on behalf of all New Zealanders to have the ETS delayed, if not scrapped. Over the last few months we have held over 40 meetings around New Zealand and put pressure on the National Party in Parliament via oral and written questions. We have raised the public’s awareness about the ETS.

 
Whilst stage one was not delayed or scrapped, we are still working toward that goal. Our efforts have, however, borne fruit. It is increasingly likely that stages two and three of the ETS will not be implemented. 

In case you've not done so already, and regardless of the fact that stage one has now been implemented, I'd  encourage you to write to Prime Minister John Key as well as Senior Cabinet Ministers and your local National Party MP to voice your opposition to the ETS. Politicians are vote driven, it is important that they hear that this is a deciding issue for you. The email addresses are;

 
john.key@parliament.govt.nz; bill.english@parliament.govt.nz; gerry.brownlee@parliament.govt.nz;
simon.power@parliament.govt.nz; steven.joyce@parliament.govt.nz;
tony.ryall@parliament.govt.nz; judith.collins@parliament.govt.nz

Your local National Party MP's email address will be the same format (firstname.lastname@parliament.govt.nz

Join the Climate Realists Network
Climate Realists (NZ) is a growing network of people who are concerned about the current misinformation which is being broadcast regarding climate change and the ETS. Climate Realists founders Neil and Esther Henderson have co-ordinated two anti-ETS petitions and helped to organise the recent protest march on Parliament. They produce a weekly email newsletter which is a very informative round up of climate change related matters.

 
Email info@climaterealists.org.nz to sign up for their newsletter or check out their website www.climaterealists.org.nz

Please be assured that the ACT Party will continue to campaign to have the ETS suspended and to at least ensure that stages two and three of the ETS will not be implemented.

For more information call 09 531 5531 or email johnboscawen.mp@parliament.govt.nz

Thank you for your interest and support.

Please forward this onto friends and family!

Best regards,
John Boscawen MP

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