Yesterday, the Prime Minister of Tuvalu - one of the most vulnerable Pacific Island states - spoke here in Warsaw, expressing his disappointment at some of Tuvalu’s Pacific neighbours who were verging on climate denial.
Today, one of New Zealand’s negotiators stated that New Zealand had not been criticised by its Pacific neighbours and that the speech was not about New Zealand.
New Zealand’s youth climate movement, Generation Zero, are getting a little bit less sure about our leaders. So they’re encouraging their supporters to double check that their Members of Parliament believe in science:
This week was a sad one for science and reason.
Despite the overwhelming evidence that climate change is happening, and that our carbon pollution is the main cause, several of our top decision makers seem to still not accept the reality.
In Wednesday night’s 3 news coverage of the Typhoon that devastated the Philippines, both our Deputy Prime Minister Hon. Bill English and our Minister of Transport Hon. Gerry Brownlee displayed a jaw-dropping level of arrogance. The scientific certainty that humans are the dominant cause of climate change is about the same today as the certainty that smoking causes cancer, yet sadly some of our top decision makers in Parliament still dismiss the science and the very genuine concerns of most Kiwis.
It is in moments like these that we need to show our representatives in Parliament that these views are not just out of step with the global scientific consensus, but with what a vast majority of everyday Kiwis believe. And you can help do that! By contacting your local MP either by email, phone or twitter you can join with hundreds of other Kiwis in asking them where they stand on the science of climate change, and whether they believe we as a country should be doing more to deliver our fair share.
To help you do this we’ve put together some easy to follow talking points along with the contact details of your local MP. Just click on the link below to take action!
If you’re concerned about New Zealand’s Government not taking climate seriously, please use these closing hours of the climate talks to tell them about your concerns and ask them to step up their game.