August 12, 2021
IPCC low blow for methane emitters
Iwi with investments in the dairy industry have been given a wake up call by the chair of the Climate Change Iwi Leaders Group.
Mike Smith says the latest report of the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change shows the world is leaving it to the last possible moment to tackle the steps needed to stop runaway climate change.
He’s still optimistic the worst scenario can be availed, but only if action is taken now, starting with the industries most responsible for New Zealand's share of climate pollution.
"In our case it's the agriculture industry. The methane coming from cows, we've got to reduce our cow numbers dramatically because we've got way too many cows running around on our land. That's causing not only problems in the atmosphere but it's polluting our rivers, with high nitrate levels causing all kinds of cancerous problems for our rural communities," Mr Smith says.
Mike Smith says New Zealanders also need to rethink their transport modes, including increasing public transport and increasing take up of electric cars and bikes.
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