MEDIA RELEASE
For immediate release
16 September 2022
The Environmental Defense society has partnered with Climate Change Leaders and Sustainable Business for the Climate Change and Business Conference, 19th and 20th September at Aotea Centre.
Most conference attendees which include Fonterra, Z Energy, Contact Energy, Westpac, Genesis and Air New Zealand have so far not shown any commitments to meaningful climate action. All comments are greenwashing – operational with dependency on public demand for their products. This has no regard for the extensive advertising influencing public demand, the long history of the fossil fuel sector obfuscating the science, actively misleading the public regarding climate change and suppressing alternative sources of energy.
“With the approach of these businesses to the climate crisis there is no hope for a stable future” says Hasini Wanigasuriya.
Extinction Rebellion is holding a vigil during the Business and Climate Change Conference at Aotea Centre. Extinction Rebellion welcomes conversations between business, government, and the environmental community as necessary to transition with urgency to a post carbon society. Extinction Rebellion expects the conversation to be based on the science.
To meet the target of the Paris Agreement of 1.5 (less than 2) degree postindustrial temperature rise. This means reaching zero anthropogenic emissions by 2025, abandoning the self-destructive perpetual economic growth mindset, stopping use of fossil fuels urgently, relying on the technologies which do not exist or are experimental today and most importantly making bold, but necessary political decisions.
The Extinction Rebellion Vigil will strengthen the green voice in the conference: 350, Gen Zero, MP Chloe Swarbrick, Climate Change Commissioner Rod Carr, Minister for Climate Change James Shaw and maybe even the Prime Minister. Conversations with the business community must be carefully guided and monitored to ensure that they result in stronger climate actions as opposed to greenwashing.
“The decisions made now will have lasting consequences. They will determine whether this century is one of ongoing climate induced crises, or one in which we and our children’s children can thrive, safely,” says Extinction Rebellion Spokesperson Caril Cowan
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