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Press Release from Dubai – Kennedy Graham, MP, Dec 9.
New Zealand is losing out big time at the extended UN climate change talks in Doha over the weekend, and it is critical that PM John Key send instructions to the delegation to change its stance, says the Green Party.
As the negotiations grind their way to a conclusion, the latest version of the resolution referring to the Kyoto Protocol will have New Zealand barred from access to the carbon credits available from the 2nd commitment period.
This is because the Government announced last month that it will not accept a legally-binding obligation to cut emissions in the period 2013 to 2020, yet has demanded at the talks that it have full right of access to the credits emerging from other countries’ reductions which have accepted such an obligation.
“This is about as low as a country can get in UN negotiations” says Kennedy Graham, Green MP who has been attending the talks. “Apart from the political stupidity of expecting concessionary treatment in the global effort to protect the planet, we are shooting ourselves in the foot economically with the current policy”.
A majority of countries have called for prohibition of this type against countries such as New Zealand with this policy, at the UN conference, and this is now being translated into agreed policy.
New Zealand is now refusing to sign the document. We are now resorting to the craven argument that we are small and so don’t matter. Liechtenstein and Monaco, smaller by far and more honourable, have signed.
“This is now beyond a joke”, says Dr Graham. “There is no choice but for John Key to urgently instruct the delegation that New Zealand, in response to the conerns of many staes and especially the Pacific island neighbours, will accept a legal commitment under Kyoto, and will announce a target very shortly.”
“Anything less than this stands New Zealand in a very difficult position in the coming years, both politically and economically.”
12/09/2012 – 21:36
