Right Wing Councils Agenda is to Deny Climate Change

Media Release
City Vision-Labour Councillors - Auckland City Council
For Immediate Release
Thursday 27 March 2008

City Vision-Labour Councillors are dismayed but unsurprised that Auckland's right-wing Citizens and Ratepayers (C&R) Council has done a U-turn on climate change by systematically removing progressive actions and programmes initiated by the last Council from Dick Hubbard's Mayoral Taskforce on Sustainability.

The sceptical view of senior C&R councillor Doug Armstrong that climate change caused by human actions is not occurring is reflected in C&R voting patterns at Council meetings including:

• Deleting all climate change action goals from the objectives of the Council's Chief Executive
• Cutting $100,000 for an eco-adviser on sustainability and energy efficiency within Auckland City from the 2008-2009 draft Annual Plan
• Removing the commitment for Auckland to be a carbon neutral city from the policy document 'Keeping Auckland's Future Bright, our long term plan for a sustainable Auckland City'

Councillor Glenda Fryer said it was shameful and demonstrated real "head in the sand" thinking. "City Vision-Labour councillors are disgusted that C&R's position of denial is for Auckland City Council to do nothing about combating the major global challenge that climate change represents to every one of us.

"Here in Auckland City we must all - as individuals, families, communities and the Council - act on climate change, because we all want a world fit for our children and grandchildren to live in," Councillor Fryer concludes.

ENDS

Posted Thu 27 Mar 2008