NZ Herald
  • Home
  • Latest news
  • Herald NOW
  • Video
  • New Zealand
  • Sport
  • World
  • Business
  • Entertainment
  • Podcasts
  • Quizzes
  • Opinion
  • Lifestyle
  • Travel
  • Viva
  • Weather

Subscriptions

  • Herald Premium
  • Viva Premium
  • The Listener
  • BusinessDesk

Sections

  • Latest news
  • New Zealand
    • All New Zealand
    • Crime
    • Politics
    • Education
    • Open Justice
    • Scam Update
  • Herald NOW
  • On The Up
  • World
    • All World
    • Australia
    • Asia
    • UK
    • United States
    • Middle East
    • Europe
    • Pacific
  • Business
    • All Business
    • MarketsSharesCurrencyCommoditiesStock TakesCrypto
    • Markets with Madison
    • Media Insider
    • Business analysis
    • Personal financeKiwiSaverInterest ratesTaxInvestment
    • EconomyInflationGDPOfficial cash rateEmployment
    • Small business
    • Business reportsMood of the BoardroomProject AucklandSustainable business and financeCapital markets reportAgribusiness reportInfrastructure reportDynamic business
    • Deloitte Top 200 Awards
    • CompaniesAged CareAgribusinessAirlinesBanking and financeConstructionEnergyFreight and logisticsHealthcareManufacturingMedia and MarketingRetailTelecommunicationsTourism
  • Opinion
    • All Opinion
    • Analysis
    • Editorials
    • Business analysis
    • Premium opinion
    • Letters to the editor
  • Politics
  • Sport
    • All Sport
    • OlympicsParalympics
    • RugbySuper RugbyNPCAll BlacksBlack FernsRugby sevensSchool rugby
    • CricketBlack CapsWhite Ferns
    • Racing
    • NetballSilver Ferns
    • LeagueWarriorsNRL
    • FootballWellington PhoenixAuckland FCAll WhitesFootball FernsEnglish Premier League
    • GolfNZ Open
    • MotorsportFormula 1
    • Boxing
    • UFC
    • BasketballNBABreakersTall BlacksTall Ferns
    • Tennis
    • Cycling
    • Athletics
    • SailingAmerica's CupSailGP
    • Rowing
  • Lifestyle
    • All Lifestyle
    • Viva - Food, fashion & beauty
    • Society Insider
    • Royals
    • Sex & relationships
    • Food & drinkRecipesRecipe collectionsRestaurant reviewsRestaurant bookings
    • Health & wellbeing
    • Fashion & beauty
    • Pets & animals
    • The Selection - Shop the trendsShop fashionShop beautyShop entertainmentShop giftsShop home & living
    • Milford's Investing Place
  • Entertainment
    • All Entertainment
    • TV
    • MoviesMovie reviews
    • MusicMusic reviews
    • BooksBook reviews
    • Culture
    • ReviewsBook reviewsMovie reviewsMusic reviewsRestaurant reviews
  • Travel
    • All Travel
    • News
    • New ZealandNorthlandAucklandWellingtonCanterburyOtago / QueenstownNelson-TasmanBest NZ beaches
    • International travelAustraliaPacific IslandsEuropeUKUSAAfricaAsia
    • Rail holidays
    • Cruise holidays
    • Ski holidays
    • Luxury travel
    • Adventure travel
  • Kāhu Māori news
  • Environment
    • All Environment
    • Our Green Future
  • Talanoa Pacific news
  • Property
    • All Property
    • Property Insider
    • Interest rates tracker
    • Residential property listings
    • Commercial property listings
  • Health
  • Technology
    • All Technology
    • AI
    • Social media
  • Rural
    • All Rural
    • Dairy farming
    • Sheep & beef farming
    • Horticulture
    • Animal health
    • Rural business
    • Rural life
    • Rural technology
    • Opinion
    • Audio & podcasts
  • Weather forecasts
    • All Weather forecasts
    • Kaitaia
    • Whangārei
    • Dargaville
    • Auckland
    • Thames
    • Tauranga
    • Hamilton
    • Whakatāne
    • Rotorua
    • Tokoroa
    • Te Kuiti
    • Taumaranui
    • Taupō
    • Gisborne
    • New Plymouth
    • Napier
    • Hastings
    • Dannevirke
    • Whanganui
    • Palmerston North
    • Levin
    • Paraparaumu
    • Masterton
    • Wellington
    • Motueka
    • Nelson
    • Blenheim
    • Westport
    • Reefton
    • Kaikōura
    • Greymouth
    • Hokitika
    • Christchurch
    • Ashburton
    • Timaru
    • Wānaka
    • Oamaru
    • Queenstown
    • Dunedin
    • Gore
    • Invercargill
  • Meet the journalists
  • Promotions & competitions
  • OneRoof property listings
  • Driven car news

Puzzles & Quizzes

  • Puzzles
    • All Puzzles
    • Sudoku
    • Code Cracker
    • Crosswords
    • Cryptic crossword
    • Wordsearch
  • Quizzes
    • All Quizzes
    • Morning quiz
    • Afternoon quiz
    • Sports quiz

Regions

  • Northland
    • All Northland
    • Far North
    • Kaitaia
    • Kerikeri
    • Kaikohe
    • Bay of Islands
    • Whangarei
    • Dargaville
    • Kaipara
    • Mangawhai
  • Auckland
  • Waikato
    • All Waikato
    • Hamilton
    • Coromandel & Hauraki
    • Matamata & Piako
    • Cambridge
    • Te Awamutu
    • Tokoroa & South Waikato
    • Taupō & Tūrangi
  • Bay of Plenty
    • All Bay of Plenty
    • Katikati
    • Tauranga
    • Mount Maunganui
    • Pāpāmoa
    • Te Puke
    • Whakatāne
  • Rotorua
  • Hawke's Bay
    • All Hawke's Bay
    • Napier
    • Hastings
    • Havelock North
    • Central Hawke's Bay
    • Wairoa
  • Taranaki
    • All Taranaki
    • Stratford
    • New Plymouth
    • Hāwera
  • Manawatū - Whanganui
    • All Manawatū - Whanganui
    • Whanganui
    • Palmerston North
    • Manawatū
    • Tararua
    • Horowhenua
  • Wellington
    • All Wellington
    • Kapiti
    • Wairarapa
    • Upper Hutt
    • Lower Hutt
  • Nelson & Tasman
    • All Nelson & Tasman
    • Motueka
    • Nelson
    • Tasman
  • Marlborough
  • West Coast
  • Canterbury
    • All Canterbury
    • Kaikōura
    • Christchurch
    • Ashburton
    • Timaru
  • Otago
    • All Otago
    • Oamaru
    • Dunedin
    • Balclutha
    • Alexandra
    • Queenstown
    • Wanaka
  • Southland
    • All Southland
    • Invercargill
    • Gore
    • Stewart Island
  • Gisborne

Media

  • Video
    • All Video
    • NZ news video
    • Herald NOW
    • Business news video
    • Politics news video
    • Sport video
    • World news video
    • Lifestyle video
    • Entertainment video
    • Travel video
    • Markets with Madison
    • Kea Kids news
  • Podcasts
    • All Podcasts
    • The Front Page
    • On the Tiles
    • Ask me Anything
    • The Little Things
  • Cartoons
  • Photo galleries
  • Today's Paper - E-editions
  • Photo sales
  • Classifieds

NZME Network

  • Advertise with NZME
  • OneRoof
  • Driven Car Guide
  • BusinessDesk
  • Newstalk ZB
  • Sunlive
  • ZM
  • The Hits
  • Coast
  • Radio Hauraki
  • The Alternative Commentary Collective
  • Gold
  • Flava
  • iHeart Radio
  • Hokonui
  • Radio Wanaka
  • iHeartCountry New Zealand
  • Restaurant Hub
  • NZME Events

SubscribeSign In
Advertisement
Advertise with NZME.
Home / New Zealand

James Shaw: We can lead world dealing with climate change

By James Shaw
NZ Herald·
5 Feb, 2018 04:00 PM5 mins to read

Subscribe to listen

Access to Herald Premium articles require a Premium subscription. Subscribe now to listen.
Already a subscriber?  Sign in here

Listening to articles is free for open-access content—explore other articles or learn more about text-to-speech.
‌
Save

    Share this article

Greens leader James Shaw speaks to the media after the state of the planet speech.
Opinion

• James Shaw, co-leader of the Green Party, is Minister for Climate Change.

Leading climate scientist James Renwick told us in this newspaper last month we should expect a minimum of 0.5 m sea level rise in the next century. That will affect our homes and our businesses, our infrastructure and our wildlife.

I believe him – the work Dr Renwick and his colleagues do provides a hugely valuable scientific foundation that enables us in the Government to plan for the future.

But there is every reason to also believe that how we plan for and respond to our changing climate can actually improve our quality of life and make us better off than we are today.

The challenge climate change represents also represents the greatest opportunity we have to upgrade our economy to one that is more productive, higher-value, higher-tech, and higher-wage than the economy we have at the moment.

Advertisement
Advertise with NZME.
Advertisement
Advertise with NZME.

Starting the economic transition now will give New Zealand businesses and farmers a competitive advantage in meeting new demand in global markets.

In normal language: People overseas want to buy the things that New Zealand makes that are bona fide clean and green. And they want to learn from countries like New Zealand who already have experience with wind and geothermal electricity generation.

On the flipside, the evidence tells us the longer we wait to make changes, the harder it will be and the more it will cost. And we will have given away the first-mover advantage to other countries. We'll be buying technology and products from them, rather than selling to them.

Change is already happening – and it's good.

For example, Auckland has signed up to a global network of 90 cities and mayors looking at ways to reinvent how the places we live, work, and play are planned and built.

Discover more

New Zealand

Activists board ship in New Plymouth

30 Jan 08:47 PM
New Zealand

Final figures: Hottest NZ month in 150 years

31 Jan 08:59 PM
New Zealand

Auckland has 137,000 buildings at flood risk

05 Feb 04:36 AM
New Zealand

Govt to launch inquiry into electricity prices

07 Feb 06:22 AM

This will spur innovation and create jobs. It will make Auckland a better place to live now and for future generations.

Our Government does not expect anyone to make changes by themselves. We are all in this together. Some communities and industries might see new types of jobs becoming more prominent. We are absolutely committed to a just transition that doesn't leave any community or any family in the lurch.

Advertisement
Advertise with NZME.

If industries have to change the way they generate energy, we're interested in how the Government can help make that happen.

If farmers need to change something about how they farm, we're interested in how the Government can support the transition.

If we need to retrofit commercial buildings to save energy and money, we want to make that easier to do.

That's one reason why we plan to establish a Green Investment Fund. The fund will put some Government money on the table to encourage the private sector to do the same, and invest in projects and businesses that will reduce climate pollution and help our country be more resilient to the changing climate.

There are so many win-win opportunities in this new economy.

Like local solar and wind power that reduce reliance on the big old coal and gas power plants, and also keep isolated communities going if a big storm knocks out the transmission lines.

Advertisement
Advertise with NZME.

Or like safer roads and footpaths around schools so kids can walk and bike more often, reducing peak-time traffic and climate pollution from car exhaust.

If you would like lower power bills, a quicker commute, or fewer diesel fumes along your local shopping street, then action on climate change will deliver these things.

If you can see yourself driving an electric car or you'd be interested in investing some of your savings in forestry, then you're already on the way. You're not alone.

The world is moving fast to take real action to get climate change under control.

Countries all over the world are winding down their coal-fired power plants, adapting their farming practices to be more productive with less impact on the climate, and switching their vehicle fleets away from oil.

In Norway, already, fully one in three new cars sold has an electric motor and Shenzhen, China, boasts a 14,000 strong, 100 per cent electric bus fleet.

Advertisement
Advertise with NZME.

In the United States, new jobs in the solar power industry are being created 17 times faster than the rest of the economy.

In transport, energy, agriculture – in virtually every sector of the economy – new technologies and ways of doing things are demonstrating that we can become more productive, profitable, and competitive at the same time as dramatically reducing pollution.

As our Government works towards our goal of a net-zero emissions economy, we'll be looking for opportunities to spur that kind of job growth here.

As New Zealanders, we do need to do our bit. We contribute less than 1 per cent of global climate pollution, but if you add up all the countries that contribute less than 1 per cent, the total is 24 per cent: far more than the US and about the same as China.

Acting together, small countries like ours can make a huge difference in this global challenge.

As global political leadership is refreshed and a new generation steps up, we recognise that tackling climate change encourages a new type of politics – one that's focused on getting things done, practical solutions informed by the best scientific evidence we can get, and working together across communities, Governments and businesses to get the best outcomes for everyone.

Advertisement
Advertise with NZME.

Later this year, the Government will be asking New Zealanders for their thoughts on how we build a prosperous future and ensure a stable climate for future generations. Watch out for more details.

The environmental science is clear that we have to make changes to protect the things about our ways of life that we hold dear, and the economic case stacks up that we should.

I see climate change as a once-in-a-generation opportunity to reinvent parts of our economy and society for the better. That's why I'm optimistic.

Save

    Share this article

Latest from New Zealand

Herald NOW

No 10 insisting UK PM didn't make Chancellor cry

New Zealand

New Cook Strait ferry arrives in Wellington

Herald NOW

Amputees 'too scared to talk out' about problems with current limb service

There’s more to Hawai‘i than beaches and buffets – here’s how to see it differently

sponsored
Advertisement
Advertise with NZME.

Latest from New Zealand

Local Government nominations open on Friday

Local Government nominations open on Friday

Queenstown Lakes District Council Candidate Lyal Cocks talks to Ryan Bridge about upcoming Local Body Elections

No 10 insisting UK PM didn't make Chancellor cry

No 10 insisting UK PM didn't make Chancellor cry

New Cook Strait ferry arrives in Wellington

New Cook Strait ferry arrives in Wellington

Amputees 'too scared to talk out' about problems with current limb service

Amputees 'too scared to talk out' about problems with current limb service

From early mornings to easy living
sponsored

From early mornings to easy living

NZ Herald
  • About NZ Herald
  • Meet the journalists
  • Newsletters
  • Classifieds
  • Help & support
  • Contact us
  • House rules
  • Privacy Policy
  • Terms of use
  • Competition terms & conditions
  • Our use of AI
Subscriber Services
  • NZ Herald e-editions
  • Daily puzzles & quizzes
  • Manage your digital subscription
  • Manage your print subscription
  • Subscribe to the NZ Herald newspaper
  • Subscribe to Herald Premium
  • Gift a subscription
  • Subscriber FAQs
  • Subscription terms & conditions
  • Promotions and subscriber benefits
NZME Network
  • The New Zealand Herald
  • The Northland Age
  • The Northern Advocate
  • Waikato Herald
  • Bay of Plenty Times
  • Rotorua Daily Post
  • Hawke's Bay Today
  • Whanganui Chronicle
  • Viva
  • NZ Listener
  • Newstalk ZB
  • BusinessDesk
  • OneRoof
  • Driven Car Guide
  • iHeart Radio
  • Restaurant Hub
NZME
  • About NZME
  • NZME careers
  • Advertise with NZME
  • Digital self-service advertising
  • Book your classified ad
  • Photo sales
  • NZME Events
  • © Copyright 2025 NZME Publishing Limited
TOP