Media release 9 November 2001

Rushing to harm

The NZ delegation's position at an international meeting currently underway on the Kyoto Protocol is harmful to New Zealand's interests, says Business New Zealand.

The NZ delegation today told the meeting that New Zealand was the only Umbrella Group nation to commit to ratification. The Umbrella Group contains the countries that have similar stances regarding forest sinks and a possible trading regime.

"The fact that New Zealand is committing itself ahead of even the Umbrella Group raises huge issues," says Business NZ Chief Executive Simon Carlaw.

"The Government has also just announced a consultation process to take place over the next three weeks, at which significant sectors of the economy will discuss Kyoto policy options for the first time.

"Without waiting to take any of this into consideration, the official NZ delegation is rushing to be the first developed nation to sign up to Kyoto.

"The Kyoto Protocol has the potential to hand over competitive advantage to countries that will not be ratifying. Many of these countries are our strongest competitors in global markets."

Contact: Simon Carlaw wk 04 4966555 or Kathryn Asare 021 555744 for more information

© Scoop Media

Gordon Campbell: On the Sony cyber attack

Given the layers of meta-irony involved, the saga of the Sony cyber attack seemed at the outset more like a snarky European art film than a popcorn entry at the multiplex.

Yet now with (a) President Barack Obama weighing in on the side of artistic freedom and calling for the US to make a ‘proportionate response’quickly followed by (b) North Korea’s entire Internet service going down, and with both these events being followed by (c) Sony deciding to backtrack and release The Interview film that had made it a target for the dastardly North Koreans in the first place, then ay caramba…the whole world will now be watching how this affair pans out. More>>