Green New Deal tackles economy and environment
Green MP Kevin Hague’s presentation on his party’s Green New Deal attracted over 30 people to the Community Centre last Sunday night.
The Green New Deal proposes a spending package of $3.3 billion over three years, intended firstly to create jobs, then stimulate business and initiate a series of projects to fuel the economy in ways that also address serious environmental problems. The package includes initiatives for energy efficiency, transport efficiency, protecting waterways, building more homes and community sector initiatives, and will be balanced between urban and rural areas.
The talk was an invitation to the community to comment on the Green Party’s initial suggestions, said Mr Hague, and was part of a nationwide conversation and “listening tour”.
The Green New Deal, launched in London last October, is the brainchild of top economists and UN officials, calling on world leaders to help finance a massive investment in projects such as energy efficiency and renewable energy and support an army of “green-collar” workers to implement the programme.
This new approach has already been adopted by many countries, and New Zealand was drastically lagging behind, said Mr Hague. The current Government’s approach of dealing with one crisis at a time reflected an old style of thinking, and with the environmental crisis in particular there was “no margin of error”, the MP added.
Spearheaded by the United Nations Environment Programme (UNEP), the plan draws inspiration from Franklin Roosevelt’s New Deal, which ended the 1930s Depression and helped set the world economy on a path of unprecedented growth.
UNEP claims that during the last 25 years, world economic growth has doubled, whilst 60 per cent of the natural resources that provide food, water, energy and clean air have been seriously degraded. UNEP executive director Achim Steiner says the Green New Deal provides a huge opportunity to turn increasing global demand for environmental protection into a driver for economic growth.
Mr Hague said that in New Zealand there was growing and very welcome support from the agricultural sector, and farmers were forming partnerships with the Greens to consider energy efficiency on farms and the protection of waterways.
The Golden Bay audience had been receptive, said Mr Hague.
“I was pleased with the really positive response to what we presented and that we were absolutely on the right track. People were drawing attention last night to local issues and how local approaches can achieve great outcomes. The Aorere Streamcare group is such an example of how the restoration of river margins can have positive downstream effects for agriculture as well as for the ocean.”
Ina Holst
