Millennials cheer New Zealand lawmaker’s ‘OK, Boomer’ remark | World News - Hindustan Times
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Millennials cheer New Zealand lawmaker’s ‘OK, Boomer’ remark

Wellington | ByReuters
Nov 08, 2019 06:10 AM IST

The term has gone viral this year on social media where youngsters post videos mocking older people as out-of-touch for rejecting the realities of climate change. Millennials are widely accepted as having been born between 1981 and 1996.

New Zealand makes ‘zero carbon’ target law

Chloe Swarbrick was speaking during debate on Tuesday about the Zero Carbon bill, which would set a target of zero carbon emissions for the country by 2050.(@_chloeswarbrick/twitter)
Chloe Swarbrick was speaking during debate on Tuesday about the Zero Carbon bill, which would set a target of zero carbon emissions for the country by 2050.(@_chloeswarbrick/twitter)

Wellington, Nov 7, 2019 (AFP) - New Zealand’s plan to reduce carbon emissions to net zero by 2050 became law on Thursday, when it cleared its final hurdle in parliament.

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The legislation, which was supported on both sides of the political divide, mandates that, in net terms, the country should produce no greenhouse gases -- except methane -- by the middle of the century, as part of New Zealand’s bid to meet its Paris climate accord commitments.

Methane -- a by-product of the key agricultural sector -- will be cut by 24-47 percent over the same time frame.

The bill establishes an independent Climate Change Commission to advise the government on how to achieve its targets and to produce “carbon budgets” every five years saying how many emissions will be allowed in that period.

“We are on the right side of history,” Prime Minister Jacinda Ardern said.

“Undeniably, our sea levels are rising. Undeniably, we are experiencing extreme weather events. Undeniably, the science tells us the impact on flora and fauna -- yes, also the spread of diseases in areas where we previously haven’t seen them,” she said.

New Zealand is one of 65 countries that have pledged to achieve net zero carbon emissions by 2050, but not all have enshrined the target in law.

The country of just under five million people has also committed to 100 percent renewable energy generation by 2035.

Millennials cheer New Zealand lawmaker’s ‘OK, Boomer’ remark

A 25-year-old New Zealand lawmaker’s “OK, Boomer” response in parliament when heckled by an older colleague is being cheered by millennials around the world.

Chloe Swarbrick was speaking during debate on Tuesday about the Zero Carbon bill, which would set a target of zero carbon emissions for the country by 2050.

When her colleague interrupted, Swarbrick coolly responded, “OK, Boomer,” and resumed her speech.

The retort drew little reaction in parliament but soon was trending on social media where millennials use “OK, Boomer” to show resentment towards the Baby Boom generation, people today aged about 55-73.

The term has gone viral this year on social media where youngsters post videos mocking older people as out-of-touch for rejecting the realities of climate change. Millennials are widely accepted as having been born between 1981 and 1996.

“How many world leaders, for how many decades have seen and known what is coming but have decided that it is more politically expedient to keep it behind closed doors? My generation and the generations after me do not have that luxury,” Swarbrick told parliament, where she said the average age was 49.

In a Facebook post later, Swarbrick acknowledged having upset some people.

“Today I have learnt that responding succinctly and in perfect jest to somebody heckling you about *your age* as you speak about the impact of climate change on *your generation* with the literal title of their generation makes some people very mad,” she wrote.

“So I guess millennials ruined humour. That, or we just need to pull ourselves up by our bootstraps and abstain from avocados.”

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