Clark brings climate change to fore -

Labour has signalled a radical "greening" of its policies, with Prime Minister Helen Clark putting climate change and sustainable development at the heart of its programme.
In her keynote address to more than 650 delegates and observers at the party's annual conference in Rotorua - the biggest since the peak of anti-Muldoon sentiment of the mid-1980s - Miss Clark said it was time to be bold on climate change.
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"People realise you can't continue to deliver the economic and social gains that we all have traditionally ... that the way of life we have is unsustainable."
Sustainability would be a core value of 21st century social democracy, she predicted.
"Why shouldn't New Zealand aim to be the first country which is truly sustainable - not by sacrificing our living standards, but by being smart and determined?"
She floated the possibility of becoming "carbon neutral", which would be a major step on from merely curbing greenhouse gas emissions.
"We can now move to develop more renewable energy, biofuels, public transport alternatives, and minimise, if not eliminate, waste to landfills."
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Miss Clark said measures would include a mix of "carrot and stick".
Aforestation and reforestation, along with public transport and energy-efficient homes, would play a big part.
Climate change was identified as the most pressing issue for the next 20 years in the party's internal polling.
The move is seen as an attempt to head off the National Party, which has signalled its intention to emulate the British Conservatives by promoting itself as "blue-green".
Greens co-leader Jeanette Fitzsimons welcomed Miss Clark's words but said there was no sign of the bold actions needed to deliver on them.
"It's a great vision - and the Greens have been setting out how to do it for three decades - but it won't happen without massive changes in government policy.
"For starters, the Government has to stop having a knee-jerk reaction to every adverse comment from the less progressive members of the business community, and it also needs to massively upskill government departments about the issues involved."
She said there was no economic incentive to use renewable energy or use energy more efficiently because environmental impacts were not reflected in the price.
Climate change was a major theme throughout the conference.
Guest speaker Queensland premier Peter Beattie said his state was suffering the worst drought on record, and called for trans-Tasman cooperation to fight global warming.
"We may end up fighting wars over water," he said.
Despite that, and Friday's opening being overshadowed by the police raid on the offices of Mangere MP Phillip Field, the mood of the conference was upbeat.
Miss Clark said Labour could win a fourth term in 2008 by sticking to core principles, and it would not lurch to the right as it had in the 1980s.
"We are not going back there on my watch."
Her 40-minute address also put a heavy emphasis on challenges in crime and justice, with calls for action on the country's "appalling rate of family violence", the need to confront youth violence in cities and the failure of the criminal justice system.
"New Zealand has high rates of imprisonment and high rates of recidivism. I draw only one conclusion from that: the system isn't working."
She ended with a call for the party to find high-quality candidates for the list at the 2008 election, to help regenerate the party.
In an important symbolic step, 25-year-old Kate Sutton was elected women's vice-president, defeating long-time party activist Jo Fitzpatrick by 299 votes to 137.