Yesterday a press release landed in my inbox and I couldn’t stop laughing. The fact that it is a serious new NZ political party that has been created to fight this year’s election makes it even funnier.
I challenge you all to read it in your head with a “How dare you” toned Greta Thunberg voice over and see how long it is before you snigger.
Press Release: The Planets Party
Global Warming is real and it’s happening now.
We know it. You know it. We ALL know it.
The time for talking is over.
It’s time for us ALL to act.
So, what can you do?
- Use your Party Vote at the next election to vote for the one party COMMITTED to make REAL CHANGE in Global Warming
Global warming is making the planet uninhabitable and attempts by governments and activists have failed to address the problem fast enough. Real change is needed NOW
The Planets Party has been established to bring about that change directly through the ballot box, thanks to MMP (Mixed Member Proportional voting system).
The Planets Party does NOT have to win the elections to force through change. We simply need to hold a sufficient percentage of the vote so that other parties will have to adopt some, or all, of the policies from The Planets Party to form a government with us.
The Planets Party has two policies:
Our Plan for NZ
We will engage top global warming scientists to review the New Zealand territory and put forward a 3- year plan that will ensure NZ is on track to keep Global Warming within a 2C limit.
The plan will be produced within 3 months and all parts of the plan will be started within 1 year. We are strongly committed to ensuring every task in the plan is completed within its allocated timeframe.
While we can’t anticipate everything the plan will recommend we can be confident we will need to take action in the following areas:
| – All coal mines to be closed down and all coal imports/exports to be banned |
| – All oil and natural gas extraction to be shut down in New Zealand – Increase the costs of carbon emissions in the ETS (Emissions Trading Scheme – “carbon tax” on CO2 emissions) – Total ban of any further imports of Petrol or Diesel fuelled vehicles – Ban Heavy Oil powered ships from visiting NZ waters – etc. |
New Zealand must be prepared to:
Tariffs
- fund the changes required
- support those affected by these policies to continue to live a healthy lifestyle (possibly by retraining and creating new industry in the affected regions).
A possible input to this work will be the work done by the Cross Party Climate Change Commission (NZ)
To encourage other countries to make a similar effort as we are to implement their own targets (as determined by the IPCC), New Zealand will impose Tariffs on all imports from non-complying countries:
- 2022 – 10%
- 2023 – 20%
- 2024 – 30%
- etc.
It is hoped that like-minded countries will come into line with their own IPCC compliant plans, but New Zealand must be prepared to accept reciprocal tariffs if we are failing to reach our own targets.
This may require that NZ pulls out of existing Trade agreements; but countries that already are not meeting their obligations to meet the Paris agreement, are already in breach of their agreements.
New Zealand must be prepared accept any potential retaliation, which may be significant.
How does NZ intend to pay for these Policies
The policies needed to meet our Global Warming obligations will be provided by one or more of the following:
- Extra money raised from an improved ETS (Emission Trading Scheme) which is a likely output from the Plan for NZ
- Adding more money by “printing” more NZ dollars whilst taking care not to inflate the New Zealand economy (see Modern Monetary Theory).
- Join other countries by implementing Digital Taxation at Source
Large Digital Technology Firms have avoided paying their fair share of tax in New Zealand so New Zealand will follow France, Europe, other Asian and Latin American countries example and tax “profits” made in NZ, at source.
- Companies typically affected by this change will be the likes of Facebook and Google (Alphabet).
- New Zealand spending will be altered, as needed
We know this may sound like a hard line, but only a hard line will ensure the survival of our planet. And the time to take that hard line is NOW.
Make 2020 the year of Action!
There is more information on the Website:
Tony Herstell