Environmental report card suggests we need to clean up our act
5:00AM Saturday April 14, 2007
By Geoff Cumming
Cows and pollution are two factors that need to be addressed as the pressure increases to clean up the environment. Photo / Wairarapa Times-Age
So you thought the global warming debate was fought and won by the likes of Al Gore and the weight of scientific opinion. Turns out it's just the firestarter to the war at home.
A broader battle is in store, pitching the Government and environmentalists against motorists, dairy farmers, foresters and electricity generators, fought with weapons such as emissions trading, polluter-pays, fuel taxes and price rises - measures which could begin next year.
It's about much more than climate change. A stocktake of our environment by the OECD shows that, even without global warming, tough measures are needed to reverse some depressing trends.
The OECD environmental performance review, examining progress in the 10 years since the first review in 1996, slipped under most radars when it was released at Easter. While New Zealand has made advances, the review sends a clear message that our lighthanded approach to environmental protection is not enough.
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