This just in from New Zealand, 350 Aotearoa organizer Aaron Packard sends this dispatch about a daring banner-drop within New Zealand’s Parliament–check it out!
350 has been getting some serious air time with New Zealand politicians in the last few days.On Tuesday, more than 20 Members of Parliament from the National, Green and Labour parties joined about 40 school students in reading out a statement declaring that they will work together on climate change ‘now and for our children’s children’. All the MPs from the Labour and Green parties (opposition parties) were wearing 350 t-shirts with pride. Yesterday, Green Party Co-Leader Metiria Turei took things a step further, as she displayed a banner (pictured) during Parliament’s question time.
Here’s the transcript from the moment:
Metiria Turei: Thank you, Mr Speaker. Does the Minister support the international 350 campaign to return climate-changing gases to a concentration of below 350 parts per million in the atmosphere; if so, how will his changes to the emissions trading scheme help to achieve that goal?
Hon Dr NICK SMITH: I commend the 350 campaign organisers on their efforts, both in New Zealand and internationally, to raise the profile of the problem of greenhouse gas emissions and climate change. I do not believe that the 350 parts per million target is realistic. The target that the New Zealand Government has adopted is a limit of a 2 degree temperature rise, and, for carbon dioxide equivalent gases in the atmosphere, a concentration not exceeding 450 parts per million.
So we’ve still got a ways to go here in NZ before it goes to Copenhagen being ambitious and ready for 350. October 24th is so important for us here in NZ – because we need to show to our Minister that 350 is realistic!