Owen Jennings
In the first week of October F.A.R.M. wrote to all the political parties and asked for their comments on taxing Methane and for their responses to the “Facts About Ruminant Methane” that we set out in the letter. We stressed the natural Methane/Carbon cycle and the lack of scientific proof that farmers were contributing “additional” Methane to the atmosphere.
The replies we received are as follows:
- Labour – no reply or acknowledgement.
- NZFirst – no reply or acknowledgement
- Heartland – no reply or acknowledgement
- Green Party – no reply – just an acknowledgement – Nga mihi nui.
- National – well-constructed reply from David Bennett stating National would only include agriculture …
“in the Emissions Trading Scheme when scientific and practical solutions are available to farmers. We are also seeking changes to the Zero-carbon act and would make seven amendments when in Government. These changes include reviewing the methane target as we do not believe that Labour’s biogenic methane target is grounded in robust science and as such need to be re-evaluated and separating out the emissions budget for biogenic methane from other gases”.
- ACT – positive response.
“ACT has made its position clear that we will follow the science and not climate hyperbole and conflation”. ACT will “recognise the uniqueness of methane as part of a cycle. We also acknowledge existing sequestering of native bush in conservation held land and private land”.
- New Conservatives – positive response
“We AGREE with your statements, and we would oppose any measures, existing or proposed, that would contravene the principles involved” They reject the ETS and would pull out of the Paris Accord.
- TOP – unhelpful
“TOP will implement the findings of the Parliamentary Commissioner for the Environment report” The only part of the PCE’s recommendations that is positive was that sinks should be recognised.
The responses are not unexpected. The lack of a response is discourteous and what we can read into it should be obvious.
P.S. The fight goes on after the election. We are not going away.
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