SUBSCRIBE TO OUR FREE NEWSLETTER
Daily news & progressive opinion—funded by the people, not the corporations—delivered straight to your inbox.
5
#000000
#FFFFFF
5
#000000
#FFFFFF
New Zealand About to Say Adios to Coal
It's 'another good piece of news for anyone wanting their kids to have a future without runaway climate change'
Aug 07, 2015
New Zealand is on track to end coal-fired power, which is celebrated as good climate news.
Genesis Energy announced Thursday that it will shut down its last two coal-burning electricity generators, which operate at the Huntly Power Station, by December 2018.
Company Chairman Jenny Shipley said the move was partly due to the falling price of renewables and that it would help bring the nation closer to its target of having renewable energy power 90 percent of its electricity by 2025.
In 2014, renewables generated nearly 80 percent of the nation's electricity.
Energy and Resources Minister Simon Bridges said the "closure marks the end of coal-fired power generation in New Zealand."
Greenpeace welcomed the news but pointed out that it was a business, not Prime Minister John Key, making the climate-wise move.
"The announcement by Genesis Energy is another good piece of news for anyone wanting their kids to have a future without runaway climate change," stated Greenpeace New Zealand Campaigner Simon Boxer.
"But it's something that our government should be leading on," his statement continued. "It's just another example of John Key and his cronies dropping the ball for New Zealanders. They don't have their finger on the pulse of the global move away from fossil fuels."
In a blog post at Greenpeace Nathan Argent, Policy Advisor for Greenpeace NZ, stresses this point as well, writing that the coal plant shutdown "will leave John Key's pollution obsessed government with soot on their face."
Key, Argent charges, "has repeatedly failed to provide backing to our clean energy workforce, ignoring the massive job creation and economic boost this would bring.
"In the same way that our distant ancestors stopped using stone to cut cloth, clean energy will replace polluting power like coal. The question is whether the Key government can evolve fast enough to be part of this new, clean energy age. All the evidence suggests they're not," he writes.
We are at a crossroads
This country and this world are at a monumental crossroads. US voters have an opportunity to beat back the forces of fascism and confront the billionaires who are rigging the economy, our media system, and our democracy, making it increasingly impossible for ordinary people to get by. We’re not just talking about the election. We’re talking about what must be done once these fascist elements are vanquished from power. We need a bolder set of solutions than what either major party has so far been willing to offer and a working-class movement ready to fight like hell for it. Trump didn't emerge from nowhere. The conditions that fueled MAGA authoritarianism were created by decades of radical neoliberal economic policies and a corrupt political system dominated by corporate interests. They slashed taxes on the super-rich, promising that the benefits would trickle down. They said giveaways to the corporate titans would make life more affordable for the rest of us. It was all bullshit. And when a bitter, betrayed populace searches for someone to blame, right-wing demagogues have little trouble finding scapegoats. People know when they're being lied to, but you won't hear any of this from the corporate media. Only independent journalism—powered and funded by people who believe in building a better world—can deliver truly trustworthy daily news. If you share our vision, please contribute whatever you can to sustain our work. |
Our work is licensed under Creative Commons (CC BY-NC-ND 3.0). Feel free to republish and share widely.
climate changerenewable energyenvironmentnew zealandjob creationcoalgreenpeacerenewablesfossil fuelsclean energy
New Zealand is on track to end coal-fired power, which is celebrated as good climate news.
Genesis Energy announced Thursday that it will shut down its last two coal-burning electricity generators, which operate at the Huntly Power Station, by December 2018.
Company Chairman Jenny Shipley said the move was partly due to the falling price of renewables and that it would help bring the nation closer to its target of having renewable energy power 90 percent of its electricity by 2025.
In 2014, renewables generated nearly 80 percent of the nation's electricity.
Energy and Resources Minister Simon Bridges said the "closure marks the end of coal-fired power generation in New Zealand."
Greenpeace welcomed the news but pointed out that it was a business, not Prime Minister John Key, making the climate-wise move.
"The announcement by Genesis Energy is another good piece of news for anyone wanting their kids to have a future without runaway climate change," stated Greenpeace New Zealand Campaigner Simon Boxer.
"But it's something that our government should be leading on," his statement continued. "It's just another example of John Key and his cronies dropping the ball for New Zealanders. They don't have their finger on the pulse of the global move away from fossil fuels."
In a blog post at Greenpeace Nathan Argent, Policy Advisor for Greenpeace NZ, stresses this point as well, writing that the coal plant shutdown "will leave John Key's pollution obsessed government with soot on their face."
Key, Argent charges, "has repeatedly failed to provide backing to our clean energy workforce, ignoring the massive job creation and economic boost this would bring.
"In the same way that our distant ancestors stopped using stone to cut cloth, clean energy will replace polluting power like coal. The question is whether the Key government can evolve fast enough to be part of this new, clean energy age. All the evidence suggests they're not," he writes.
New Zealand is on track to end coal-fired power, which is celebrated as good climate news.
Genesis Energy announced Thursday that it will shut down its last two coal-burning electricity generators, which operate at the Huntly Power Station, by December 2018.
Company Chairman Jenny Shipley said the move was partly due to the falling price of renewables and that it would help bring the nation closer to its target of having renewable energy power 90 percent of its electricity by 2025.
In 2014, renewables generated nearly 80 percent of the nation's electricity.
Energy and Resources Minister Simon Bridges said the "closure marks the end of coal-fired power generation in New Zealand."
Greenpeace welcomed the news but pointed out that it was a business, not Prime Minister John Key, making the climate-wise move.
"The announcement by Genesis Energy is another good piece of news for anyone wanting their kids to have a future without runaway climate change," stated Greenpeace New Zealand Campaigner Simon Boxer.
"But it's something that our government should be leading on," his statement continued. "It's just another example of John Key and his cronies dropping the ball for New Zealanders. They don't have their finger on the pulse of the global move away from fossil fuels."
In a blog post at Greenpeace Nathan Argent, Policy Advisor for Greenpeace NZ, stresses this point as well, writing that the coal plant shutdown "will leave John Key's pollution obsessed government with soot on their face."
Key, Argent charges, "has repeatedly failed to provide backing to our clean energy workforce, ignoring the massive job creation and economic boost this would bring.
"In the same way that our distant ancestors stopped using stone to cut cloth, clean energy will replace polluting power like coal. The question is whether the Key government can evolve fast enough to be part of this new, clean energy age. All the evidence suggests they're not," he writes.
We've had enough. The 1% own and operate the corporate media. They are doing everything they can to defend the status quo, squash dissent and protect the wealthy and the powerful. The Common Dreams media model is different. We cover the news that matters to the 99%. Our mission? To inform. To inspire. To ignite change for the common good. How? Nonprofit. Independent. Reader-supported. Free to read. Free to republish. Free to share. With no advertising. No paywalls. No selling of your data. Thousands of small donations fund our newsroom and allow us to continue publishing. Can you chip in? We can't do it without you. Thank you.
To inform. To inspire. To ignite change for the common good.
News & Opinion
Trending
Common Dreams, Inc. Founded 1997. Registered 501(c3) Non-Profit
Privacy Policy