Scoop has an Ethical Paywall
Work smarter with a Pro licence Learn More
Parliament

Gordon Campbell | Parliament TV | Parliament Today | Video | Questions Of the Day | Search

 

No incentive for NZ polluters to reduce emissions under ETS

6 August 2012

No incentive for New Zealand polluters to reduce emissions under Government’s weak ETS

“The fall in carbon prices, both in New Zealand and overseas, shows the Government's blind faith in the market is wrong,” said Green Party climate change spokesperson Kennedy Graham.

Figures out last week showed New Zealand emitters were mostly buying cheap offshore units to meet their Emissions Trading Scheme (ETS) obligations over the past year.

“The Government has chipped away at Labour's barely adequately ETS ever since it got into office to make it almost useless.

“The NZ price has slumped even below the European price, trading at under $5 last week, compared with $20 at the start of the scheme. The famed ‘price signal’, always simply background noise, has now become completely inaudible.

“On top of that, the Government makes no real effort to prevent cheap European credits from being purchased, with the result that nearly three-quarters were bought offshore.

“By way of comparison, Sweden has a carbon tax of about $175 per tonne. Its citizens know that, if they pay now for their future security, it will cost less overall.

“Our Minister, Tim Groser, has conceded that on present prices, the impact of the ETS will be very low. That is the understatement of all time, even for this Government.

“What the Minister fails to acknowledge is that, until a framework is in place for New Zealand to meet a minimum of its Kyoto obligations through reductions in domestic tonnage, rather than buying cheap indulgences from Europe without restriction, we shall continue to welch on our obligation to our children’s generation," said Dr Graham.

ENDS

Advertisement - scroll to continue reading

Are you getting our free newsletter?

Subscribe to Scoop’s 'The Catch Up' our free weekly newsletter sent to your inbox every Monday with stories from across our network.

© Scoop Media

Advertisement - scroll to continue reading
 
 
 
Parliament Headlines | Politics Headlines | Regional Headlines



Gordon Campbell: On Dune 2, And Images Of Islam


Depictions of Islam in Western popular culture have rarely been positive, even before 9/11. Five years on from the mosque shootings, this is one of the cultural headwinds that the Muslim community has to battle against. Whatever messages of tolerance and inclusion are offered in daylight, much of our culture tends to be hostile to Islam when we’re sitting in the dark, with popcorn.
Any number of movie examples come to mind, beginning with Rudolf Valentino’s role (over a century ago) as the romantic Arab hero in The Sheik...
More


 
 


Government: One-stop Shop Major Projects On The Fast Track

The Coalition Government’s new one-stop-shop fast track consenting regime for regional and national projects of significance will cut red tape and make it easier for New Zealand to build the infrastructure and major projects needed to get the country moving again... More

ALSO:


Government: GPS 2024: Over $20 Billion To Get Transport Back On Track
Transport Minister Simeon Brown has released the draft Government Policy Statement (GPS) on Land Transport, outlining the Coalition Government’s plan to build and maintain a transport system that enables people to get to where they need to go quickly and safely... More

ALSO:

Government: Humanitarian Support For Gaza & West Bank

Winston Peters has announced NZ is providing a further $5M to respond to the extreme humanitarian need in Gaza and the West Bank. “The impact of the Israel-Hamas conflict on civilians is absolutely appalling," he said... More


Government: New High Court Judge Appointed

Judith Collins has announced the appointment of Wellington Barrister Jason Scott McHerron as a High Court Judge. Justice McHerron graduated from the University of Otago with a BA in English Literature in 1994 and an LLB in 1996... More

 
 
 
 
 
 

LATEST HEADLINES

  • PARLIAMENT
  • POLITICS
  • REGIONAL
 
 

InfoPages News Channels


 
 
 
 

Join Our Free Newsletter

Subscribe to Scoop’s 'The Catch Up' our free weekly newsletter sent to your inbox every Monday with stories from across our network.