International climate change report welcomed

Climate Change Minister Tim Groser today welcomed the latest international report on climate change which was released last night in Copenhagen.

Climate Change 2014, the Synthesis Report of the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change’s Fifth Assessment brings together the findings from the three previously published volumes of the report. They cover The Physical Science Basis; Impacts, Adaptation and Vulnerability; andMitigation of Climate Change.

“This report brings together the collective knowledge and expertise of key climate scientists and experts from around the world, including New Zealand. It is the best scientific assessment of climate issues available. I’m delighted that New Zealand scientists have contributed to this body of knowledge,” says Mr Groser.

“New Zealand is taking a balanced approach to climate change: we are playing our part while avoiding imposing excessive costs on households and businesses. We will use the findings from these reports to help develop policies and to take action to mitigate our greenhouse gas emissions and to adapt to the effects of climate change.”

“As part of our contribution, we are investing in international programmes to support global emission reductions and resilience to the impacts of climate change. We are also playing a leadership role globally in specific areas. This includes leading the Global Research Alliance on Agricultural Greenhouse Gases and the NZ$100 million investment in clean energy we will be making in the Pacific and further afield over the next three years.”

The report brings greater scientific understanding with increased certainty, which highlights the importance of addressing climate change and informs the negotiations taking place under the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change.

“New Zealand is a very active participant in these international climate change negotiations. We will meet with other countries in Lima, Peru this December to continue talks towards a comprehensive new global climate change agreement in 2015. The new agreement is to take effect from 2020,” says Mr Groser, “and unlike the Kyoto Protocol, it is to apply to all countries.”

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