NZ Joins International Partnership on Design of Carbon Market

Prime Minister Helen Clark announced today that New Zealand is signing up to the International Carbon Action Partnership (ICAP) as a founding member at a ceremony in Lisbon, Portugal, overnight New Zealand time.

“This is an international forum to share knowledge and experience on carbon markets between those who are in the process of designing or implementing them. New Zealand has been invited to join because it is developing an emissions trading system.

“New Zealand’s scheme is in many respects a world leading design, as it is the world’s first ‘all sectors and all gases’ model.

“We intend to take an active role in exploring how regional systems might be linked globally, to ensure that New Zealand will benefit from the world-wide carbon markets that will be developed,” Helen Clark said.

Minister Responsible for Climate Changes Issues David Parker said that the Partnership brings together, several European countries, including the United Kingdom, Germany, Portugal, and Norway; and a number of individual US States, including California, New York and New Jersey.

“By building working relationships between governments and public authorities engaged in developing and implementing programmes to combat climate change, ICAP will support the United Nations process on climate change. As part of its work programme, it will facilitate co-operation and information sharing between technical experts, including through joint research and studies,” David Parker said.

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