So maybe, just maybe, the idea that we shouldn't be making an effort to reduce our greenhouse gas emissions as a country because we're so small and insignificant isn't actually an appropriate excuse? READ MORE:* Climate change has dashed my dreams of motherhood* Why you should take action on climate change* New Zealand's anti-science GMO laws need to change to tackle climate change* Why Stuff invited a school student to be guest editorOur influential presence on the world stage is undeniable. While we account for only 0.17 per cent of the world's greenhouse gas emissions, New Zealand actually has the 5th-highest per capita emissions in the OECD out of the 36 member states. New Zealand is big enough, influential enough, and privileged enough to implement strong and ambitious climate change policies. Mia Sutherland is a Christchurch high school student, an organiser of School Strike 4 Climate NZ, and a Stuff columnist.

Source: Stuff November 04, 2019 15:56 UTC