New Zealand's leader yesterday set her people the ambitious goal of becoming the world's first greenhouse gas-neutral country, and pledged big emission cuts by government and set compulsory targets for biofuel use as initial steps.
In her first major speech to parliament this year, Prime Minister Helen Clark likened the threat of climate change to that of nuclear holocaust during the Cold War, and said New Zealand must lead the way in combatting it.
"I believe New Zealand can aim to be the first nation to be truly sustainable across the four pillars of the economy, society, the environment, and nationhood," she said. "I believe we can aspire to be carbon neutral in our economy and way of life."
She committed New Zealand to environmental targets that no other developed nation has been prepared to consider -- an ambitious agenda given New Zealand already is struggling to meet its Kyoto Protocol commitment to cut greenhouse gas emissions to 1990 levels by 2012.
Among measures Clark announced was that clean-burning biofuels must make up 3.4 percent of fuel sold in the country by 2012 to replace gasoline and diesel, and a campaign to help households save energy and cut waste.
She said all 47 government agencies would take immediate steps toward the aim of becoming carbon neutral by using energy efficient transport and buildings, and slashing fuel bills. The government would use only recycled paper and environmentally friendly products.
Opposition National Party leader John Key ridiculed theplan, saying it would have an insignificant effect on global warming.
But it was welcomed by the Business Council for Sustainable Development, a group of companies who promote energy efficiency and other environmental goals, as a "sea change in the way the country will handle climate change and protect its trading position for long term success."
Clark said New Zealand could set an example for the world on climate change as it did in the 1980s with its nuclear free policies.
"Two decades ago it was the threat of nuclear war destroying the world as we knew it which galvanized New Zealand to become nuclear free," Clark said, adding that the policy had since become "central to our national identity."
"So it must be with this century's environmental sustainability challenge," she said. "We have to make a stand for our world, and for our own sake."
The pledge by Japanese Prime Minister Sanae Takaichi to “work, work, work, work and work” for her country has been named the catchphrase of the year, recognizing the effort Japan’s first female leader had to make to reach the top. Takaichi uttered the phrase in October when she was elected as head of the ruling Liberal Democratic Party (LDP). Many were initially as worried about her work ethic as supportive of her enthusiasm. In a country notorious for long working hours, especially for working women who are also burdened with homemaking and caregiving, overwork is a sensitive topic. The recognition triggered a
A plan by Switzerland’s right-wing People’s Party to cap the population at 10 million has the backing of almost half the country, according to a poll before an expected vote next year. The party, which has long campaigned against immigration, argues that too-fast population growth is overwhelming housing, transport and public services. The level of support comes despite the government urging voters to reject it, warning that strict curbs would damage the economy and prosperity, as Swiss companies depend on foreign workers. The poll by newspaper group Tamedia/20 Minuten and released yesterday showed that 48 percent of the population plan to vote
A powerful magnitude 7.6 earthquake shook Japan’s northeast region late on Monday, prompting tsunami warnings and orders for residents to evacuate. A tsunami as high as three metres (10 feet) could hit Japan’s northeastern coast after an earthquake with an estimated magnitude of 7.6 occurred offshore at 11:15 p.m. (1415 GMT), the Japan Meteorological Agency (JMA) said. Tsunami warnings were issued for the prefectures of Hokkaido, Aomori and Iwate, and a tsunami of 40cm had been observed at Aomori’s Mutsu Ogawara and Hokkaido’s Urakawa ports before midnight, JMA said. The epicentre of the quake was 80 km (50 miles) off the coast of
RELAXED: After talks on Ukraine and trade, the French president met with students while his wife visited pandas, after the pair parted ways with their Chinese counterparts French President Emmanuel Macron concluded his fourth state visit to China yesterday in Chengdu, striking a more relaxed note after tough discussions on Ukraine and trade with Chinese President Xi Jinping (習近平) a day earlier. Far from the imposing Great Hall of the People in Beijing where the two leaders held talks, Xi and China’s first lady, Peng Liyuan (彭麗媛), showed Macron and his wife Brigitte around the centuries-old Dujiangyan Dam, a World Heritage Site set against the mountainous landscape of Sichuan Province. Macron was told through an interpreter about the ancient irrigation system, which dates back to the third century
RSS