by Kennedy Graham
Tomorrow I leave these shores for Rio de Janeiro. My destination is the UN conference to review the original Earth Summit of 1992 which I also attended.
Yesterday I delivered a short speech in the House during General Debate on the need for a global approach to the global problems of population growth, sustainability and climate change.
I was immediately followed by Mr Ian McKelvie, of Rangitikei. He criticised the previous Green speaker for talking about the world out there. It was, he said, the job of the NZ Parliament to focus on New Zealand issues, and promote the interests of New Zealand.
A similar point was made by the National speaker immediately preceding me, Nicky Wagner of Christchurch Central, who assured the House perhaps ten times in five minutes how glad she was to be a Kiwi. Because, relatively speaking, New Zealand was extraordinarily lucky.
I shall not belabour the point. We have renamed our foreign affairs portfolio, ‘global affairs’, for reasons I set out earlier.
To contend that New Zealand, must pursue its national interest through acknowledging the legitimate interests of the other 99.94% of humanity, and collaborate rather than compete with the other 192 member states of the United Nations is not to work against our interests. It is to work for them.
To imply that the NZ House of Representatives has not the time or space, in the 21st century, to focus on the issues at play out there in the rest of world, reflects a provincialism of a mind-boggling dimension.
The difference between National and Green philosophy could not be more starkly portrayed.
What was it I said? Among other things, I quoted UNEP:
As human pressures on the Earth accelerate, several critical thresholds are close or have been exceeded. Once these have been passed, abrupt and possibly irreversible changes to the life support functions of the planet are likely to occur, with significant adverse implications for human well-being.
And UNEP’s chief, Achim Steiner:
Once the tipping points occur, you don’t wake up the next morning and say ‘this is terrible, can we change it? That is the whole essence of these thresholds. We are condemning people to not having the choice any more.
Published in Environment & Resource Management by Kennedy Graham on Thu, June 14th, 2012
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on the trolls and those who are unable to keep on topic
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There is such a thing as global morality and it shocks me when Kennedy relates the exchanges above where the Neoliberal ethos has permeated the National Party to such an extent that they not only promote the survival of the richest in our country, but also see New Zealand’s relationship with the world in the terms of a competing corporation.
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I’ll admit that I thought KG was being ironic when I first read this….
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Pity we do not have strict liability for incompetent, negligent or criminal politicians.
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I wonder where on earth we can find an honest politician?
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Politicians are as honest as the ones who elect them to office.
@ Kennedy – As for right wingers, there is indeed a ‘disconnect’ between the way they percieve reality and that reality itself. As I explained here, in response to a certain gentleman; http://fmacskasy.wordpress.com/2012/06/15/letter-from-a-national-party-supporter/
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I don’t think all 61 are dishonest. I think there are some sheep in the mix – although that might not be fair to ewes and rams
Trevor.
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I don’t follow Mr Ian McKelvie’s reasoning. Surely the problems of population growth, sustainability and climate change affect New Zealanders and are therefore also New Zealand issues? Won’t sea level rise affect our coasts as well as the costs of other countries, or does Mr McKelvie think that he is more powerful than King Canute? As the global population increases and the newcomers demand more and more oil for their lifestyle, won’t it become harder or more expensive for New Zealanders to fill their tanks?
Trevor.
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There is no reasoning. They are not capable of anything that remotely resembles it.
The ideology and the worship of the wealthy is all and I have never been more disgusted with my fellow human beings as I am now… not even during the worst of the Vietnam era.
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I understand why the Nats think the way they do. Ask me, sometime. But you better have a spare afternoon because I’ll go real big picture on you.
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