Media release 25 October 2002

Climate change cooperation welcomed

Today's announcement that New Zealand and the US will increase cooperation on climate change issues is a welcome sign of commonsense, says Business NZ.

The Energy Minister this morning said the two countries had agreed to work together on climate change research, new technologies and greenhouse gas monitoring, despite the different approaches taken on the Kyoto Protocol.

Business NZ Chief Executive Simon Carlaw said New Zealand and Australia should also take a similar approach.

"Cooperating with other nations is more fruitful than condemning them - the rhetoric by Kyoto nations against the US and Australia has not done much to help deal with climate change.

"There is a great deal of scope for more such inter-country agreements to deal with climate change - more, in fact, than the Kyoto approach, which seems to focus on blaming and punishing.

"The Energy Minister's positive steps with the US could be a model for other inclusive, workable initiatives between countries.

"Given the Bill of Rights issue that has arisen with the Climate Change Response Bill, this may be an appropriate time for New Zealand to rethink its strategies for advancing environmental balance."

ENDS

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