The ghost of conferences past - New Zealand at Rio, Durban, and Rio
Here are key extracts from our national leaders at the evolving Earth Summits, as New Zealand confronts the historically-unprecedented problem of global sustainability in the late 20th-early 21st century (CE).
1992: Minister for Environment, Hon. Rob Storey, 1st Earth Summit, Rio de Janeiro
“Sustainable development is the strong thread that will weave … the tapestry of our common future.
“New Zealand accepts the need for new and additional financial resources to help developing countries move towards sustainable development. We have joined others in pledging our commitment to do this. ….
“We were one of the first to sign the [Climate Change] Convention and we look forward to its prompt entry-into-force. International action is only effective if it is coupled with strong national action. I pledge New Zealand to such action. ….
“… [W]e have to remember that this gathering is but a first step in a journey that will take us together into the 21st century. … [W]e need to look to the future with hope, determination and commitment to change values, behaviour and actions.
“Hutia te rito o te harakeke Cut away the centre shoot of the flaxbush,
“Kēi hea te komako e ko? Then where will the bellbird sing?
2002: Prime Minister, Rt. Hon. Helen Clark, Review Conference, Johannesburg
“New Zealand has come to this conference to lend its voice to the cause of sustainability. We come knowing that the ecosystem of our planet is under considerable stress.
“… [W]e come to this Summit in the belief that the problems can be solved. But doing so will require a far greater international commitment to action than there has been to date. … We take our international commitments seriously.
“New Zealand is looking for firm commitments on sustainability from this Summit. The problems are well-defined and the solutions are reasonably obvious. What has been lacking is the political will to act. We owe it to future generations to deliver.
and
[proposed DRAFT TEXT for Minister, clearance from DPMC / MFAT pending]
2012: Minister for Environment, Hon. Amy Adams, 2012, Rio de Janeiro
“I acknowledge that New Zealand has failed to live up to the commitments we made in 1992 and reaffirmed in 2002. We have not yet changed our values, our behaviour and actions.
“Since 1992 our common human earth-share has dwindled to 1.8 hectares per person today. Yet our footprint is 2.7 – an ecological overshoot of 50%.
New Zealand’s national ecological footprint has increased to 4.4 hectares per person. Given our bio-capacity is 10.2 ha. per person, we New Zealanders know well we have an obligation to share.
I acknowledge that New Zealanders are exceeding our share of the planet’s resource capacity more than two-fold.
We are thus incurring permanent theft from my compatriot, Brittany Trilford, the Conference’s global youth representative who spoke to us all so eloquently last night about the future she wants.
We shall introduce legislation this year that will bind present and future Prime Ministers to report on continuing reductions in our Ecological Footprint to the level of earth-share by 2050.
“I apologise, to fellow leaders and delegates, for the fact that, despite the pledge by my predecessor in 1992 to take strong national action, our greenhouse gas emissions have increased by 16% — from 62 million tonnes to 72 m. We stress the difficulty of reducing our national emissions because we have developed an agricultural economy. We acknowledge, however, the UNEP report ‘Bridging the Emissions Gap’ which shows that, on present technology, agriculture can account for 16% of potential emission reductions. We acknowledge the UN’s call for 25% to 40% reductions by 2020. We shall introduce legislation that upgrades our current pledge of 10% to 20% conditional and imposes a binding obligation to meet 30% reductions by domestic cuts and 10% through international credits.
“I apologise, to my 5 billion fellow human still living on $1 per day who will are confronting climate change first and most severely, for one further failure. Despite our pledge to introduce new and additional financial support to assist you, our ODA percentage of GNI has remained static at around 0.28%. My government will reassign its fiscal priorities, even in these times of austerity, to reach 0.5% by 2015 and 0.7% by 2020.
“We shall do these things, difficult though they will be, because we are a proud nation which attaches importance to honouring the international commitments we make. The mana of our people has, since the beginning of time, depended on us doing what we say we will.
“And because of the soft and haunting sounds of Nature that pierce my heart as I speak.
“Hutia te rito o te harakeke Cut away the centre shoot of the flaxbush,
Kēi hea te komako e ko? Then where will the bellbird sing?
Te hei, mauriora
