Media release 25 October 2002
Climate change cooperation welcomed
Today's announcement that New Zealand and the US will increase cooperation on climate change issues is a welcome sign
of commonsense, says Business NZ.
The Energy Minister this morning said the two countries had agreed to work together on climate change research, new
technologies and greenhouse gas monitoring, despite the different approaches taken on the Kyoto Protocol.
Business NZ Chief Executive Simon Carlaw said New Zealand and Australia should also take a similar approach.
"Cooperating with other nations is more fruitful than condemning them - the rhetoric by Kyoto nations against the US and
Australia has not done much to help deal with climate change.
"There is a great deal of scope for more such inter-country agreements to deal with climate change - more, in fact, than
the Kyoto approach, which seems to focus on blaming and punishing.
"The Energy Minister's positive steps with the US could be a model for other inclusive, workable initiatives between
countries.
"Given the Bill of Rights issue that has arisen with the Climate Change Response Bill, this may be an appropriate time
for New Zealand to rethink its strategies for advancing environmental balance."
ENDS