Hon Tim Groser
Minister of Trade
Minister responsible for International Climate Change Negotiations
5 September 2011

Groser to visit South Africa, United Kingdom and United States

Tim Groser, Trade Minister and Minister Responsible for International Climate Change Negotiations, leaves New Zealand tomorrow to attend talks on climate change and trade in South Africa, the United Kingdom and the United States.

In Pretoria, South Africa, Mr Groser will attend a Ministerial meeting laying the groundwork for the United Nations climate change conference in Durban in December. Mr Groser will chair a session examining the transition to a post-2012 climate change agreement.

“Countries are facing the reality of a gap in climate change agreements after the first Kyoto Protocol commitment period ends in 2012. We must together ensure that climate change is tackled as a global issue and provide confidence to international carbon markets.”

In London, Mr Groser will hold bilateral discussions on trade and climate change and participate in the Creating Climate Wealth Summit. This summit, presented by the non-profit organisation The Carbon War Room, will address capital funding of low-carbon technologies, including for sustainable agriculture.

In Washington, Mr Groser will discuss climate change negotiations as a special guest of the Major Economies Forum, a grouping of the 17 largest emitting countries. He will also host a roundtable event for US agri-business, philanthropic foundations and multilateral banks to update them on the Global Research Alliance on Agricultural Greenhouse Gases and related New Zealand initiatives, including the New Zealand Fund for Global Partnerships for Research on Livestock Emissions. The Fund, which totals NZ$25 million over four years, is aimed at accelerating global research into mitigating greenhouse gas emissions from pastoral livestock.

“New Zealand’s interest in improving food security without increasing greenhouse gas emissions clearly resonates at a global level. The New Zealand Fund for Global Partnerships for Research on Livestock Emissions will create new collaborations that reduce livestock emissions, benefiting New Zealand and other countries.”

Also in Washington, Mr Groser will deliver a keynote address on “The Impact of Climate Change on International Trade” at the Inter-American Development Bank’s conference on Trade and Climate Change in Latin America.

ENDS

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