10. Hon MARIAN HOBBS (Labour—Wellington Central) Link to this
to the Minister responsible for Climate Change Issues
What role has New Zealand played in recent international developments in climate change policy?
Hon DAVID PARKER (Minister responsible for Climate Change Issues) Link to this
In addition to the Prime Minister’s leadership at APEC, New Zealand officials played key roles in Nairobi processes under the Kyoto Protocol. We co-chaired the programme on international cooperation on adaptation, which is of particular relevance to low-lying Pacific States. Perhaps more important, we were also active in negotiations of future commitments by annex 1 countries. New principles were agreed to be applied in deliberations on future emission reduction commitments post-2012. These principles, I would suggest to the House, are of fundamental importance to New Zealand. They mandate analysis of mitigation potentials and technologies available to countries like New Zealand, taking into account both sectoral dimensions and the means available to reach emissions targets. This is of importance to New Zealand’s unusual emissions profile, a substantial proportion of which is methane emissions from ruminant digestion for which there is currently no mitigation technology.
Madam SPEAKERNew Zealand is also at the forefront of research on the reduction of agricultural emissions, which will both improve farm productivity and reduce greenhouse gas emissions. Ministry of Agriculture and Forestry and Ministry of Foreign Affairs and Trade officials held a very well-attended presentation on agricultural greenhouse gas emissions. This caused strong interest from both developed and developing countries interested in the coordination internationally and the co-funding of research on agricultural emissions. I pursued this in subsequent—
—bilateral meetings, and those countries especially interested include Ireland, the UK, Argentina, and Brazil.
Hon Dr Nick Smith Link to this
Why did the Minister tell the climate change conference in Nairobi that the answer to climate change was greater cooperation, when he has refused point-blank any cooperation on policy in New Zealand by failing even to reply to a letter sent from National last December suggesting a cooperative approach, by locking National out of any discussions on a policy way forward, and by—unlike previous National and Labour Ministers—excluding any Opposition representation on New Zealand delegations that have been involved in discussions about climate change beyond 2012?
Before I call the Minister I will just remind members that although answers are meant to be of a reasonable length, so are questions.
For the last 7 years every positive move on climate change has been opposed by National. I have to admit there was an about-face 2 weeks ago in respect of the Permanent Forest Sink Initiative. Secondly, I would note that I went to considerable effort to invite every member of Parliament, from every party, to the free showings in both Wellington and Auckland of An Inconvenient Truth before it was on general release. Every major party was represented except National, which did not even bother to show up.
I have received a report stating that France is considering punitive taxes on imports from non-Kyoto Protocol countries. The European Union is also considering punitive measures. Both reports have caused considerable alarm in Australia. I have also received a report advocating that New Zealand consider withdrawing from the Kyoto Protocol. That report does not even mention important trading partners or the implications for trade with the European Union, Japan, the UK, etc.—all Kyoto members. The second report comes from the National Party, which does not even consider the implications for trade.
Peter BrownIf the Government is prepared to take a lead on climate change—as the Minister has just indicated—what is the Government’s attitude to China, which is Kyoto exempt until 2012 and is bringing on stream a new, large, coal-fired power station just about every week?
China is not exempt from Kyoto. It is not subject to mandatory annex 1 emissions reduction commitments during the first commitment period, but that is not to say that it is not making considerable efforts to reduce its emissions. It has to do more, but a report that was released at the Nairobi conference, by one of the thinktanks in the United States, showed that the emissions reductions below business as usual levels in China and India are greater than those that have been planned in the United States.
Hon Dr Nick Smith Link to this
I raise a point of order, Madam Speaker. Noting that the Minister has said that he has excluded National members from involvement in international climate change conferences because we had not seen Al Gore’s movie, An Inconvenient Truth—
That is the member’s interpretation, which is fine, but would you please come to the point of order.
Hon Dr Nick Smith Link to this
I raise a point of order, Madam Speaker. When does it become a point where the Speaker now becomes a commentator on the political—
Please be seated, Dr Smith. Points of order are to be made succinctly, not with great prefaces of comments and statements. That was my intervention. Will you please make your point of order without the editorialising.
Hon Dr Nick Smith Link to this
I seek leave to table the agenda of National’s blue-green conference at which the movie An Inconvenient Truth,was shown—6 weeks prior to the letter from David Parker inviting National members to see it.
I seek leave to table two documents. The first is an article from the Reuters correspondent in Paris dated 14 November, entitled “French Prime Minister today proposed introducing punitive taxes on imports from Australia and other countries that refuse to sign the Kyoto Protocol”.
I shall remind members that points of order are heard in silence. If members wish to remain for the rest of question time today, please respect that. Leave is sought to table that document. Is there any objection? There is.