Jacinda Ardern has told world leaders at the UN Climate Action Summit that New Zealand is determined to lead the way in terms of sustainable food production.
“The situation is stark, it will not be easy,” said Ardern. “But we are determined to show that we can be the most sustainable food producers in the world.” Despite Ardern’s high-hopes for the country, she said that New Zealand’s global emissions had increased by just over 23 percent since 1990, and net emissions had grown by 65 percent. However, with plans to work closely with the farming industry to reduce this, Ardern believes that we can lead by example.
In defence of Ardern’s bold, but meaningful statements, Acting Prime Minister, Winston Peters, said that the content of her speech was something backed by everyone in Cabinet. He also alluded to New Zealand’s response to sustainability matters, mentioning the plans our country has in place for 2025, 2030, and 2050. Peters said, “It’s why we’ve gone to so much trouble to ensure that we alongside the farming community in this country and the producers in this country—as far as the emitters are concerned, we take them with us and we’re going to spend a problematic time doing that.”
