Today's climate strike has shown the power of young people demanding more of their politicians and we congratulate them on their organisation and tenacity, Green Party Co-leader James Shaw says.
"We agree with the five core demands of the School Strike for Climate,
"We've called a motion in the house to declare an emergency, only to be blocked by the Opposition, and continue to work in Government to deliver a wide ranging action plan that recognises the scale of the challenge.
"We have worked tirelessly to get a Zero Carbon Act in place with cross-party support and would be open to ways to bring net zero carbon into place by 2040 if the political consensus allowed.
"We don't want to see any new fossil fuel permits granted and we'd like current permits to be wound down in an orderly fashion. We have championed an end to exploration and have lobbied to have existing permit extensions closed off.
Green Party Co-leader Marama Davidson says that core to the demands of the School Strike for Climate is a recognition that communities need to be supported through the changes.
"We're leading the government's work on reducing waste in order to lead to a circular economy, with communities and local government as partners, and it was the Green Party that set the government's goal of 100% renewable electricity. We're committed to supporting new clean industries like green hydrogen and we were the first to get Cabinet to agree to be guided by just transition principles.
"Our climate action plan and legislation is geared around staying within 1.5 degrees and we have supported Pacific Islands Small Island Developing States delegations at COP. We support appropriate visa pathways for migration with dignity but we also hear the voices of our Pacific neighbours calling for the world to act faster to stop climate change, so they can stay in their homelands - that has to be the priority. We're also proud of the 50% increase in climate aid to the Pacific under this Government.
