The Dunedin City Council has voted to endorse climate change initiatives described as ''extreme'' and ''ridiculous'' by two councillors, a decision made against staff advice.
The move last week would have resulted in the council lobbying the Government for a policy of zero carbon emissions by 2050, but the change of government since then meant that appears no longer necessary.
The council's planning and environment committee voted to endorse both the Our Climate Declaration and the Zero Carbon Act, after public forum calls to do so earlier in the year.
The climate declaration calls on New Zealand to phase out fossil fuels by 2050, prevent new coal mines and coal-burning plants, and end deep sea oil exploration and fracking.
It would also halt the expansion of industrialised, intensive farming and ''replace the unsustainable drive for endless economic growth and consumerism''.
The Zero Carbon Act would commit New Zealand to zero carbon by 2050 or sooner.
Developed by youth-led organisation Generation Zero, it calls on the Government to set binding five-year ''carbon budgets''.
A staff report recommended the council not endorse the ideas, as staff were already working on climate change initiatives, and it would pre-empt community consultation.
Despite that, Cr Aaron Hawkins moved the initiatives be endorsed. He said they reflected the ''ambitions of our community'', and work the council was doing.
Cr Jim O'Malley said countries that got themselves off oil first would be exempt from economic stresses that would ''come upon us'' in the next 50 or 60 years.
Cr Andrew Whiley said he would not support the motion.
''Council staff are working through a number of these issues quite effectively and at quite a reasonable pace.''
They were engaging with the community as they undertook that work.
''This is actually going to run over the top of that, and a lot in the community are going to get really p... off with this decision, because we haven't heard from them.''
Cr Lee Vandervis said there should be an aim of 100% renewable energy but zero carbon was ''a different matter altogether''.
What the council did politically, and the decisions it made, had to be based around practical, workable alternatives ''that are not run by the extreme in ideologies''.
''These are extreme times,'' Cr Christine Garey said.
She endorsed the two initiatives, a move she said did not preclude the council continuing discussions with the community.
Cr Mike Lord said some of the wording in the initiatives, such as halting the expansion of industrialised farming, was ''bordering on the ridiculous''.
''The alternative is that somehow farming is not industrialised, well, that just doesn't make sense.''
Mayor Dave Cull and Crs Garey, Hawkins, Marie Laufiso, O'Malley, Damian Newell, Chris Staynes, Conrad Stedman and David Benson-Pope voted to endorse the initiatives, while Crs Rachel Elder, Doug Hall, Lord, Vandervis and Whiley voted against.
Yesterday, Cr Hawkins said the political landscape had changed and the new Jacinda Ardern-led government was committed to having an independent climate commission and targets for being carbon zero by 2050.
''It's moved from a position of advocacy and lobbying to a political context where we can work constructively with our new government.''
Community and planning group manager Nicola Pinfold said staff were working on carbon targets and would report on those in November.
The endorsement would ''sit alongside'' what the council was already doing, but would not change it.
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Comments
I would have thought that the greens dismal (but deserved) results in the national election would have encouraged them to consider their policies and direction.
This sort of stunt simply adds layers of additional costs upon all rate payers at the whim of a small group of zealots. They say they represent all locals. I say they are deluded.
Yes...what Keith said so well. Thanks Keith!