Energy and the Environment

As the most intelligent living creatures on this planet Earth, we have the ability to do a lot of amazing things. The fact that we are able to create that which does not form naturally, such as technology, is mind blowing and Labour knows that this shows how intelligent humanity is. However, we often forget that because we are intelligent, we are able to create things which nature is not prepared to defend against. Nature has never had to deal with the amount of Carbon Dioxide humanity produces every day, let along every year. Nature has never had to deal with the massive deforestation that humans cause, at least without an extinction event. Humanity is intelligent, but we must not let this intelligence lead us to causing a human-made extinction event. Rather, we need to use our intelligence to protect the environment. To accomplish this, Labour will:

Invest in Solar Farms, which are much more energy and financially efficient than solar panels on house roofs.

Solar Energy is becoming cheaper by the year and we should be a world leader on powering the country with clean energy from the sun.

Invest in Energy Battery Storage.

In order to capture energy from solar and wind we will need to store them to have a strong base of power for our nation.

Invest in Electric Vehicles.

Cars and Trucks are one of our largest polluters and we should be moving ahead with the obvious solution in Electric Vehicles.

Carbon Free by 2030

We have made great progress in this government, and Labour wishes to continue that progress. As a party with a strong history of Carbon reduction, it wishes to go further and carry on this progress to lead New Zealand to a carbon free future. While we wish to do this sooner rather than later, eleven year is a reasonable amount of time to guarantee we transition carefully into this new age. We will work to bring down Carbon production seriously annually. Labour believes strongly in this pledge, and will do whatever it takes to achieve it and make significant progress if it is elected to government.

Investing in Green Research

Labour recognizes the fact that we cannot defeat climate change without innovation. There is an entire field of research into sustainable energies, green infrastructure, and new methods of reducing Greenhouse Gasses in the atmosphere, yet the world lags behind in this. A key sign of an effective government is one that supports the scientific community, especially with grants. As such, Labour would push for a radical grant programme that would provide grant research money to researchers, universities, and organizations that plan to use it to further human knowledge in the realm of green research. Furthermore, Labour will prepare a conclusive means of ensuring that the grant money is not being wasted and that the research that was funded is what it is being used for, to prevent abuse of this system.

Holding the World to Account

Ultimately, New Zealand alone cannot end climate change, as much as we wish this were the case. The truth is that virtually all nations produce the dreadful greenhouse gasses that destroy this environment. This is often spouted as a reason by the right to not fight climate change, and to that Labour greatly disagree. New Zealand should be a shining beacon of social justice, equality, and environmental protection. And Labour would be proud to be a leader in the world on the issue of climate change. Furthermore, we will use our position in the world to encourage our allies to adopt Green policies as best as possible. When negotiating trade deals, or any deals, Labour will ensure that the contents of the deal in no way harm the environment of New Zealand and further Labour will work to negotiate deals which consist of our allies agreeing to make progress on the environment and to enact Green policies.

Incentivizing Green Practices

In the meantime, while we are not free from Carbon, Labour will seek a temporary solution of incentivizing people and companies to using green practices as much as possible. This will be done through subsidies, tax deductions, among other methods.

Holding the Government Responsible for Green Policies

In this manifesto, Labour is making a guarantee that it will fight climate change and do what needs to be done to save the planet so that our children and their children may have a better world to live on after we are gone. In order to show that commitment, Labour pledges that if it ever fails in this promise then it will deserve to be held to account for that failure. Labour is not a party that is afraid of facing the people, as some parties are. Furthermore, Labour will be a vocal green voice in or out of government. It is important to have parties that are prioritizing green policies, and that is Labour’s plan for this next term.

Facilitate the passage of a Green Bill of Rights

The Labour Party believes that protection of the environment is one of the most important things a government can do, as climate change poses such an enormous threat to humanity. This is an issue that we must stand together against, and an important step towards that is passing a Green Bill of Rights. This would be in the form of a bill that would list the rights afforded to citizens regarding the environment, namely in having a clean environment, and suggest proper treatment of that environment. Furthermore, Labour will consider entrenching this bill so that it would become harder to repeal by future, less green-conscious governments.