Yesterday about 80 people packed the University of Otago Centre for Sustainability to put their names behind a document that is calling on the Government to phase out the extraction and burning of fossil fuels by 2050 and put the health of the environment before financial gain.
The declaration was simultaneously launched in Auckland, Wellington and Christchurch.
Dunedin launch co-ordinator and University of Otago accountancy and finance lecturer Dr Ralph Adler said many Dunedin declaration signatories were not the ones who would necessarily reap the benefits of fighting climate change.
''Many of these people are from a group looking unselfishly toward the future and bettering life, both from an environmental perspective but social and economical too, because it is all intertwined.''
The declaration, which would be presented to all political parties before the September election, aimed to restore 1.3 million hectares of marginal land to native forest and establish a climate commission to set a binding carbon budget.
Dr Adler was confident the declaration would bring about change at both governmental and social level.
''People will say, this was a key event and what were you doing when it was signed.''
Generation Zero member Findlay Campbell said the declaration was symbolic of the widespread desire for action on climate change.
The declaration also pledged to provide individuals and groups with practical measures they could take to reduce their impact on the environment.
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Good luck to there climate change declaration but not all share there view some of us have a different perspective and understand the world scene and why climate change was first brought about when the climate change has serveres its purpose it will just drift into the back ground
Russell, everybody is entitled to their opinion, as you suggest, but that is not the same as the entitlement to have your opinion considered or discussed equally with others.
If facts, years of research, and increasingly real world evidence suggest your opinion contradicts reality, then not believing in climate change is similar to not believing that the planet is round. You are quite entitled to believe it, but don’t expect to be taken seriously or expect a platform on which to espouse your opinion as truth.
This should be a given. We are not experts on anything unless qualified. We are the public, sort of 'allowed on' to speak relatively freely. This does not mean any comment is holy writ.
Partially qualified, 'The Motion Pictures Of Cecil B De Mille'.
We have climate change but is it caused because of fossil fuels or is it natural and will happen again