 |
 |
 |
|
|
 |
 |
 |
 |
 |
 |
 |
 |
 |
|
|||||
|
Leader's LetterSeptember 2006
Climate Change?New Zealand First’s position is that we accept that climate change is occurring due to greenhouse gas emissions, and that it is a problem which needs to be addressed. However, we do not accept the Kyoto protocol with the imposition of carbon taxes. In fact it is as a result of our Confidence and Supply agreement that carbon taxes have, at this juncture, been dispensed with. I say at this juncture as they have not disappeared totally. The government is working on a narrower carbon charge regime which will impact on big carbon emitters. Undoubtedly, this cost will be passed on to consumers. Why the concern and what are greenhouse gases? Greenhouse gases naturally blanket the Earth and although they allow the sun’s heat to radiate through, the ‘blanket’ prohibits some of the heat escaping back into space. By increasing the gases we effectively ‘thicken the blanket’ and reduce the amount of the Earth’s heat which can escape. This effect leads to increased global warming. Experts tell us this has been occurring for some time which, if unchecked, will lead to numerous disasters on a worldwide basis. These include changing rainfall patterns, more severe floods, more frequent droughts, prevalence of insects and rising sea levels. As a result it’s believed there will be negative impacts on health and economic development. It is particularly worrying when the Prime Minister announces, as she did recently, that we are a country more susceptible to these disasters than most. The scenario all sounds very gloomy, requiring some immediate and long-term action. Experts say that water vapour is the most prominent greenhouse gas and assert there is effectively nothing that can reduce it. Water vapour represents approximately 60% of greenhouse gases, carbon dioxide 20% with the remainder made up of methane, nitrous oxide and fluorocarbons. Scientists, when they refer to greenhouse gases in the global warming context, are referring primarily to all the gases except water vapour. These gases are known as greenhouse gas emissions and emanate significantly from human activity, the burning of fossil fuels in particular. In order to make comparisons between nations, greenhouse gas emissions are converted to carbon dioxide (CO2) equivalents. As a nation, when compared to others, our CO2 equivalent emissions pale into insignificance when compared to the USA, China, India, or even Australia. I am told our emissions are so low they do not even register on the global model. However, on a per capita basis we are on the high side. Around 50% of our CO2 equivalent emissions come from agriculture, 25% comes from transport, and the remainder 25% from other sources, including coal and gas fuelled power stations. Trees absorb CO2 so part of the solution would be to plant more forests. Trees also drop leaves, branches, etc. which rot and give off methane, a greenhouse gas. Pasture can absorb CO2 if the level of top-soil is maintained at a predetermined level. So the whole picture is somewhat unclear. It becomes even less clear when one notes that the USA will not sign up to Kyoto, China and India are exempt, at least until 2012, Australia will not sign up and the Blair UK government is now questioning the whole thing. Russia signed up and it was only when it did so that there was sufficient support for Kyoto to proceed. But Russia, industrially, has gone somewhat backwards and if carbon taxes become fully operable it stands to gain millions if not billions of dollars annually! Meanwhile, there are experts who argue that global warming is all theory. They believe it is a natural phenomenon and is part of Earth’s natural cycle. They also state that overall, water vapour represents closer to 90% of the total of greenhouse gases. This would mean that the CO2 equivalents, due to human activity, is in the vicinity of 10% which appears to reduce the problem somewhat. Al Gore (former USA Vice-President) has a film, The Inconvenient Truth which is disturbing to say the least. It leaves no doubt climate change is a huge problem. But water vapour is not mentioned once! Perhaps the whole debate should be conducted with a good deal more transparency? What do you think? I’d be keen to know. Peter Brown MP
|
|
|||
|
|
||