5. JEANETTE FITZSIMONS (Green) Link to this
to the Prime Minister
When he referred yesterday to avoiding “overly-ambitious climate change targets”, did he mean that the minimum target of 25 to 40 percent below 1990 levels by 2020, which the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change says is necessary to keep global warming below 2 degrees, is overly ambitious?
Hon JOHN KEY (Prime Minister) Link to this
Before I answer the question, I will just take a moment to acknowledge Jeanette Fitzsimons and the fact that she is giving her valedictory speech today after 13 years in Parliament. I know that members will want to join with me in congratulating her on such an illustrious and successful career here in Parliament. In answer to the question, that is a global target, and for New Zealand a target of 25 to 40 percent would be an overly ambitious target, in our view.
Jeanette Fitzsimons Link to this
In light of the UN advice that the targets announced so far by all countries are “not enough to forestall the dangerous effects of climate change by mid-century”, will he commit to working with other world leaders to raise all countries’ targets, including New Zealand’s?
The answer to that is that New Zealand is already putting up what is an ambitious target relative to those of other countries. If one was to look at the analysis provided by the New Zealand Treasury, one would see that it argues very strongly that we are doing much more than our fair share. Of course, over the course of the next 12 months or so, as we head to Mexico, countries will be working to see what agreements can be secured, and New Zealand will play its part in those discussions.
Jeanette Fitzsimons Link to this
Now that he has had 2 months to think about my questions last year, which he was not able to answer at the time, can he now name even one country that he expects will make bigger than 25 to 40 percent cuts to its emissions in order to balance our smaller ones?
I am sure there are some out there. I do not have the names of those particular countries to hand, although they would almost certainly be in the European Union. I just make the point that the aggregate reduction in 1990 emissions that would be achieved if all developed countries were to meet their currently stated targets would be about 18 percent. We know that it is more difficult for New Zealand to achieve its target, for all the reasons we know, not the least of them being that we have had the fastest per capita population growth of any annex 1 country. I think that New Zealanders can be proud that we are paying more than our fair share when it comes to the battle on climate change.
Charles ChauvelIs one of the ways in which the Prime Minister plans to avoid “overly-ambitious climate change targets” to completely ignore the huge opportunities from investment in clean technology; if not, why was there no mention whatsoever of those opportunities in his speech yesterday?
I am sure we will work on those, but one of the ways in which we will come to terms with the challenges of climate change is through the global alliance, and I can tell the member how successful it has been. I am sure he joined with us in the celebrations at Copenhagen when the United States committed US$90 million to that fund. We are pleased that so many countries will be coming to New Zealand at the start of this year for those negotiations and discussions. That alliance will make a real difference when it comes to the world combating climate change.
I seek leave to table a letter dated Friday, 29 January 2010, from Phillip Mills, Lloyd Morrison, Sir George Fistonich, Geoff Ross, Rob Fenwick, Sir Stephen Tindall, Rob Fyfe, and Jeremy Moon, urging that opportunities for New Zealand in clean technology and green technology be seized by this Parliament.
Mr SPEAKERJeanette Fitzsimons Link to this
How do the Minister’s plans to mine the conservation estate, to expand oil production, to mine, burn, and export more coal, and to build more roads align with his stated ambition to do our part for climate change?
Firstly, the member will be aware that the largest proportion of our greenhouse gas emissions comes from the agricultural sector. If we are going to make significant inroads into our emissions, we need to tackle the bit that is causing the biggest problem from New Zealand’s perspective. That is why we have the global alliance. In terms of building roads, if we do not build those roads we will have more traffic congestion, and that means that motorists end up emitting even more emissions. Finally, as we all know, when we build roads things called buses travel along them, and that actually helps public transport. [ Interruption]
Jeanette Fitzsimons Link to this
It is nice to see such cross-party accord on the building of roads! Was the Prime Minister’s lack of ambition on New Zealand’s climate change target the reason he refused to meet with the New Zealand youth delegation in Copenhagen, despite its letter requesting a meeting?
I do not know where the member gets her information, but I did meet with the youth delegation. Funnily enough, the youth delegation members were absolutely thrilled that I met with them, because they said that no other leader had bothered to meet with them. I welcomed the opportunity to talk to people from America and other countries.
Jeanette Fitzsimons Link to this
I seek leave to table a letter from the New Zealand youth delegation written on 15 December to Minister Nick Smith, asking to meet with the Prime Minister while he was in Copenhagen.
Jeanette Fitzsimons Link to this
Did the Prime Minister meet with the New Zealand youth delegation, as requested in that letter, or did he just have a meeting with a few people?