Hon Dr Nick Smith MP
National Party Climate Change Spokesman

16 September 2007

Bureaucratic bungle over climate change bid

It is no wonder New Zealand's greenhouse gas emissions are growing at record rates, when major budget bids to offset emissions are lost in bureaucratic bungles, says National's Climate Change spokesman, Nick Smith.

Documents released under the Official Information Act show that in December 2006 the Department of Conservation prepared a major pest control bid for the 2007 budget that, 'could offset the equivalent of 20-40 million tonnes of CO2 by 2012'. However, it goes on to say, 'owing to the climate change focus of the proposal, the Treasury advised that the bid should be led by MfE, and DOC therefore forwarded it to MfE. There was no subsequent correspondence between MfE and DOC about the proposal, so DOC does not know why MfE later decided to drop the bid from Budget 2007.'

"It's incompetent that this promising budget bid of killing pests to enable our native forests to absorb more carbon, was lost in an administrative botch-up between the Ministry for the Environment and the Department of Conservation.

"Pest control is one of the most cost effective ways New Zealand can reduce carbon in the atmosphere, and it has the bonus of healthier forests and more birdlife.

"It is extraordinary that the Ministry for the Environment is putting so much into becoming carbon neutral, which will only save 339 tonnes of carbon per year, while it overlooks an initiative that would save an estimated 30 million tonnes of carbon.

"This latest debacle just adds to the long list of climate change policy failures by the Government, which include the billion dollar Kyoto bungle, animal emissions levy, negotiated greenhouse agreements, carbon tax, and failed energy efficiency and conservation strategy."

ENDS

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