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Trade and Climate Change Minister Tim Groser has welcomed the formal launch of international negotiations on the liberalisation of environmental goods. 

The negotiations were launched overnight by a group of members of the World Trade Organisation (WTO) at its headquarters in Geneva, Switzerland.

“New Zealand is very pleased to be a part of this new initiative,” says Mr Groser.

Climate Change Minister Tim Groser departs today to attend the Major Economies Forum (MEF) on Energy and Climate in Paris, followed by a visit to Berlin to participate in the Fifth Petersburg Climate Dialogue.

The MEF brings together 17 of the world’s largest economies to hold discussions about international negotiations for a new climate change agreement.  The US convenes the meeting several times a year, and New Zealand is invited as a special participant.

The Government welcomes the passage of legislation amending the Climate Change Response Act 2002 so that only New Zealand Units (NZUs) can be surrendered by participants when deregistering post-1989 forest land from the Emissions Trading Scheme (ETS).

The amended act will remove the opportunity to arbitrage NZUs by registering and deregistering the same piece of post-1989 forest land from the ETS multiple times.

Minister for Climate Change Issues Tim Groser says the latest report from the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change emphasises the need for a truly global agreement in 2015 to ensure efforts to cut greenhouse gases (GHG) are effective.

The IPCC Working Group III report on the mitigation of climate change was released on Sunday 13 April. It says deep cuts in GHG emissions remain possible but there are significant challenges.

Minister for Climate Change Issues Tim Groser says New Zealand will comfortably meet its Kyoto Protocol greenhouse gas reduction targets following the release of New Zealand’s latest Greenhouse Gas Inventory and Net Position today.

“The reports show that we are on track to meet our commitments and we will have a surplus of credits,” Mr Groser says.

Climate Change Minister Tim Groser welcomes a new Climate Change report from the Intergovernmental Panel that puts a focus on adapting to the impacts of climate change.

“The latest IPCC report is another useful contribution to climate change science that will help inform our climate policy. We can use the information in the report to help ensure that New Zealand’s economy, environment and society are resilient to the impacts of climate change,” says Mr Groser.

Associate Minister for Primary Industries Jo Goodhew and Minister for Climate Change Issues Tim Groser have today announced changes to the Emissions Trading Scheme (ETS) which will allow for greater transparency.

“From April buyers and sellers of carbon units will be able to see where the unit has come from, so they know how the unit was generated,” says Mrs Goodhew.