'Put aside silly politics and act' - Chlöe Swarbrick urges climate emergency declaration

July 31, 2019

The Green MP has already tried to get Parliament to make a declaration.

Green Chlöe Swarbrick has told MPs to "put aside silly politics and act" to declare a climate emergency. 

"The effect of a declaration of a climate emergency is a bald-faced statement of intent," she told the House today.

"If we can't even say the words, if we can't look Aotearoa New Zealand's scientists in the eye, if we can't look our children in the eye... then what on earth is the point of this place?

"This is not leadership. This is an impediment to progress. It takes more energy to block a climate emergency than it does to declare one. Human beings created this situation, and the measure of our leadership and our integrity will be whether we can put aside silly politics and act."

"If they don't trust the literal science, then they can look inside their own caucuses, because every political party in this Parliament has said that they accept the fact of climate change. The fact is, the truth is, that it requires urgent action."

A climate emergency is a move that initially failed in Parliament, but it is still on the cards for New Zealand, Green Party co-leader James Shaw said earlier this month. 

"We're working on something," he told 1 NEWS.

"What the UK Parliament has done has been great because it has come from Parliament, but Chlöe had a go as a member of Parliament to try and get a resolution of the House," Mr Shaw said. "It basically fell over on procedure. We're working through how to make it work."

Britain's Parliament approved a motion to declare a climate emergency on May 1 - showing a non-legally binding will on the issue, according to the BBC. 

Prime Minister Jacinda Ardern said in June it was the "action that matters", and that the Government is making "good progress" via the  Zero Carbon Bill

National MP Todd Muller also in June said he understood the sentiment of a climate change emergency, but dismissed it as "really just symbolism".

"There's no plan or action plan that sits behind it," he said.

"I think what really matters in climate change debate and policy is action."

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