9 November 2012
ETS destroyed, now Government gets to work on Kyoto
The National Government announced today it is withdrawing from global efforts under the Kyoto Protocol to fight climate
change and instead aligning with countries who will just talk about it, Green Party climate change spokesperson Kennedy
Graham said.
Today Australia announced it, like 36 other countries, would sign up to a second commitment period of the Kyoto
Protocol.
The Protocol is a global agreement with binding obligations to cut greenhouse gas emissions. The first commitment period
stops at the end of the year and Climate Change Minister Tim Groser has repeatedly refused to answer Green Party
questions about New Zealand’s ongoing reduction targets.
“Australia today pledged to sign up to a second period and stated what its targets would be. In response the National
Government had admitted it won’t be signing and will instead support the UN Framework Convention,” Dr Graham said.
“That means committing to producing hot air at talks but not agreeing to legally binding measures to reduce emissions.
“Not content yesterday to pass a law to gut New Zealand’s Emissions Trading Scheme the National Government is now out to
undermine any international credibility the nation ever had on climate change.
“In his statement Tim Groser talks about aligning with ‘major economies’ omitting that many other countries, and the
European Union, are in the pro-Kyoto camp and want to take real action to combat climate change.
“Australia understands that its businesses need certainty for the future and that by acting now it can save money. The
National Government is obsessed with short-term costs and ignores the risk to our clean green brand and economy of
global warming.”
ENDS