John MacDonald: We'd be mad to pull out of the Paris agreement

We would be mad to pull out of the Paris Climate Change Agreement.  

ACT leader David Seymour thinks differently though, saying its emissions targets are "disconnected from science and blind to New Zealand's realities".  

He says net zero targets have been set with no regard for the real cost to firms, farms, and families, and he wants out.  

Out of 197 countries, 193 are signed up to the accord. David Seymour wants us to join what would be a very exclusive club of five.  

I can kind-of understand the thinking of the people who would like us to end our involvement, because New Zealand is a tiny cog in the climate change machine and really, what difference can we actually make?  

The other reason people are anti-the Paris agreement is their impression that the big countries —the big polluters— aren’t really doing their bit. So if they’re not, why should we?  

I get that. The thing is though, when it comes to climate change you have to take a long-term view, and you have to think about the bigger picture. And it’s not just about the climate itself.  

The main reason I want us to stay involved is the same reason David Seymour wants us out: the economy.  

He says the targets we’ve signed up to are forcing farmers off the land (which you have to question), forcing people out of the regions, and making food and electricity more expensive.  

But whether we like it or not, our free trade agreement with the European Union has specific references to climate change and the Paris agreement. If we did pull out, there could be serious trade and economic consequences for us.  

So we have to stick with it. Whether we like it or not. 

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Episode Transcript

Speaker 1 (00:06):
You're listening to the Canterbury Mornings podcast with John McDonald
from News Talk ZB.

Speaker 2 (00:12):
We would be mad, We would be absolutely mad to
put out of the Paris Climate Change Agreement. That's what
I think. Actively to David Seymore, he thinks differently, though,
saying it's a mission's targets are quote disconnected from science
and blind to New Zealand's realities end of quotes. He

(00:38):
says net zero targets have been set with no regard
for the real cost to firms, farms and families, and
he wants out, just like Donald Trump wants out. I
see an online pile this morning shows that a slight
majority of people agree with him. Fifty three percent say yes,
get out of the accord, forty three percent say no,

(01:01):
and four percent and not sure. I'm saying, let you know,
I'll tell you why shortly. But first here's why ACTMP
and form of Federated Farmer's President Andrew Hoggard thinks that
we should quit the Paris Agreement.

Speaker 3 (01:16):
Trying to do all this is just costing. He's on
far too much, and energy prices and farmland being gobbled
up by pine trees, and you know, we're such a
small part of the world's and missions, and we seem
to be one of the few countries trying to be
purer than pure on the whole thing. And I think
it's time we as act party, we feel we need

(01:37):
to be a bit more realistic about it. We've got
a lot of good stuff going for us. We've got
the world's most efficient farmers, we've got a lot of
renewable energy. Let's not beat ourselves to death over being
some sort of sacrificial guinea pig.

Speaker 2 (01:52):
I think he's pushing it there, claiming that we're one
of the few countries trying to be purer than pure.
Because of the one hundred and ninety seven countries in
the world, one hundred and ninety three are signed up
to the Paris Accord. So if we did quit, we
would be in a very exclusive club of five. Now
let me just say that I can kind of understand

(02:14):
the thinking of the people who would like us to
end our involvement, because well, New Zealand we're a tiny
cog in the climate change machine, and really, what difference
can we actually make. Plus the other reason people are
anti Paris, or at the very least the other reason
they question its effectiveness is the impression that the big countries,

(02:35):
you know, the big polluters, are all talk and aren't
really doing their bit. So if they're not, why the
hell should we bother. I get that things though, when
it comes to climate change, you have to take a
long term view and you have to think about the
bigger picture. And it's not just about the climate itself.
You know, it's not just because of the reasons Green's

(02:56):
co leader Chloe Swarbrick thinks we should be involved either.
She's saying this morning that climate targets aren't just numbers
on a page. She says, there's scientific limits for life
on Earth as we know it. That's another quote for you,
and that the whole point of the Paris Agreement is
to limit the effects of climate change, which makes life
more expensive for all of us. This is what Chloe

(03:17):
s Forbrook's saying, get higher insurance premiums, big cleanups after
serious weather events, all of that. Now, the main reason
I want us to stay involved is kind of the
same reason David Seymour wants us out of it. Their
economy now. He says, the targets were signed up to
are forcing farmers off the land, which you've got a

(03:40):
question a bit of hyperbole, He says, the targets are
forcing people out of the regions, and the targets are
making food and electricity more expensive. But whether we like
it or not, our free trade agreement with the European
Union has specific references to climate change. China and Australia
they're part of the Paris Agreement too, and if we

(04:01):
pulled out there could be serious trade and economic consequences
for New Zealand. So we have to stay signed up
to it, whether we think we can make much of
a difference or not. Now you might think, oh, well,
look that's a lot of time and money and effort
to make little or no difference. But here's my question.
Do you really want to jeopardize our relationships with our
big trading partners. Would you really want to put that

(04:23):
at risk just so that we could cry about common
sense being restored or rhetoric like that. I don't think
we would.

Speaker 1 (04:32):
For more from Caterbory Mornings with John McDonald, listen live
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