Doesn’t it seem a bit ironic that the National party has been caught out trying to hide a report into the effects of climate change while some of the largest flooding disasters ever seen are devastating parts of the world?As the death toll rises in places like India, Nepal, Bangladesh and Texas from unprecedented deluges, the Minister for Climate Change Issues has been lying about the release of a report into the global warming effect on New Zealand.
Despite the huge cost and magnitude of these horrendous storms, which are scientifically linked to climate change and have displaced more than 40 million people worldwide, the National led government is still burying its head in the sand.
Yesterday, Stuff reported:
NZ needs to act now to protect people and property, leaked coastal erosion report urges
A leaked government report calls for immediate action to help protect thousands of people and $19 billion of property at risk from increased flooding and coastal erosion.
The report, commissioned by the Ministry for the Environment, was delivered in April but has still not been officially released.
It concludes that $19 billion worth of buildings, about 43,000 homes, 130,000 people, five airports, more than 2000 kilometres of road and 46km of railway face "higher levels of coastal risk exposure" as a consequence of rising sea levels.
Yesterday, Newshub also reported:
Government accused of hiding climate report that could affect homes of 130,000 peopleClearly it would've been much better to have just released the report back in April.
The Government is being accused of trying to hide a report that shows the homes of 130,000 New Zealanders are at risk from climate change.
The Ministry for the Environment report was delivered to the Government in April.
It found 133,000 people were at risk of "higher levels of coastal erosion", with homes in Canterbury, followed by Hawke's Bay, are most at risk from sea level rise.
The report warns sea levels could rise 30cm-40cm by 2050, with what is now a "rare storm" event happening every year.
Green Party leader James Shaw was leaked the report and says the Government's failure to release it earlier has affected the public's and businesses' ability to plan for rising seas. The current available Ministry for the Environment data is nearly 10 years old - from 2008.
"It seems that there are inconvenient truths in this new report, which the Government would rather not talk about in the lead-up to the election," says Mr Shaw.
"This 284-page document makes disturbing reading and National seems determined to hide it so it can continue to avoid real action to reduce climate pollution and real action to deal with its consequences, such as rising seas."
The office for Ms Bennett told Newshub she has "received some early advice from the group.
"The draft final report is due in November and then the final report in March. The Minister fully intends to release the reports once the final one has been completed."
Voters need to realise that the National party will do almost anything to hide information it doesn’t want in the public domain. This is even more evident when it comes to Paula Bennett.
With dishonest climate change deniers in our halls of power, it’s little wonder the government is being taken to court over their lack of action. The fact that the National party is trying to hide relevant reports from the public before an election should also add weight to Sarah Thomson’s worthwhile case.
If you'd like to see some real climate change policy being implemented, don't vote for the National party. This video from 2014 shows what they really think about the world's most pressing issue.
