Call for action on energy use

Press, 1 August 1989, Page 4

Call for action on energy use

PA Auckland The Government should take decisive action to limit the “greenhouse effect” rather than spend money on research, the Royal Forest and Bird Protection Society says.

The society’s conservation director,: Mr Kevin Smith, said the $2 million set aside in the Budget for the Environment Ministry to research the effects of climate warming should be used to make New Zealand more energy-effi-cient ; s

The wanning of the Earth over the next few decades would be one of the gravest problems affecting the planet and inefficient use of energy and fossil fuels was the cause, he said.

The destruction af rainforests, which tooljfcaway

the mechanism for absorbing carbon dioxide, was also a cause. Mr Smith said New Zealand contributed to this as 2000 ha of native forest was felled and turned into woodchip each year.

The measures he advocated included:

• Incentives to encourage car owners to switch to CNG.

• Funds for replanting of forests on eroded land on the East Cape. • The refusal of a project to build a coal-fired power station at Marsden Point

• Direct burning of natural gas for energy rather than converting it to electricity. • Phasing out fossil fuels for energy production. *

• More funds for energy conservation.