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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.

Minister for Climate Change Issues Tim Groser has welcomed the publishing of New Zealand’s Sixth National Communication on Climate Change and the associated First Biennial Report.

Mr President, Excellencies, Ladies and Gentlemen,

I would first like to acknowledge the Government and the people of Poland, and thank them for generously hosting our discussions over these two weeks.

Amidst all the complexities of the scientific and political debate about the right way to meet the challenge from anthropogenic greenhouse warming, certain rather large realities impose themselves on that debate:

Minister for Climate Change Tim Groser departs for Warsaw tomorrow to participate in the annual Conference of the Parties to the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change.

Mr Groser will co-chair the ministerial dialogue on the Durban Platform, working on the shape of the international agreement post-2020.

Climate Change Minister Tim Groser welcomes the release of the Fifth Assessment Report (AR5) Climate Change 2013 by the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC).  

The report on climate science, released in Stockholm on Friday, is the first of three volumes making up the AR5.

“The IPCC’s assessment reports are comprehensive and authoritative. They are written and peer reviewed by the world’s leading climate specialists, and are the best scientific assessments of climate issues available,” says Mr Groser.

Climate Change Minister Tim Groser today welcomed top-level international climate change negotiators who are gathered in Auckland this week for the second New Zealand-hosted informal dialogue on the new United Nations climate change agreement. 

New Zealand has taken this initiative, using a different meeting format and approach, to inject some fresh thinking into this crucial negotiation.

Climate Change Minister Tim Groser has announced New Zealand has committed to reducing greenhouse gas emissions to five per cent below 1990 levels by 2020.

“Our 2020 target is more ambitious than our Kyoto Protocol first commitment period target, compares favourably with our traditional partners’ actions and reflects New Zealand’s unique national circumstances,” says Mr Groser.

Climate Change Minister Tim Groser today welcomed the report by the Prime Minister’s Chief Science Advisor Sir Peter Gluckman, New Zealand’s Changing Oceans and Climate: the impact of human activity and implications for the future.

The report provides a useful overview of current scientific understanding of climate change. It endorses global consensus that greenhouse gas emissions are causing climate change.

Minister of Trade and for Climate Change Issues Tim Groser will depart tomorrow for Washington to meet his new US counterpart, United States Trade Representative, Mike Froman.

In Washington Mr Groser will also hold discussions with key stakeholders in the Trans-Pacific Partnership including Members of Congress and industry.

This arresting phrase – ‘Agriculture: New Zealand’s Silicon Valley’ – is not mine. It is Sir Graeme Harrison’s and I can’t improve on it. Sir Graeme, you will recall, is the founder and Chairman of ANZCO Foods, one of New Zealand’s largest exporters.

I like the phrase for three complementary reasons:

Climate Change Minister Tim Groser today welcomed New Zealand’s Greenhouse Gas Inventory and Net Position which show we are on track to meet our Kyoto commitments.

The Greenhouse Gas Inventory provides a historical snapshot of New Zealand’s greenhouse gas emissions, while the Net Position forecasts by how much New Zealand’s emissions will be above or below our Kyoto Protocol target.

Trade and Climate Change Issues Minister Tim Groser will depart for Europe today to attend international trade and climate change meetings.

The focus of Mr Groser’s visit will be the World Economic Forum in Davos, Switzerland from 23-27 January, along with meetings in Geneva.

Climate Change Minister Tim Groser today announced that the Government is banning some international emissions units from New Zealand’s Emissions Trading Scheme (ETS) due to concerns over their environmental integrity.

“We are banning international units generated from industrial gas destruction projects and large hydropower projects that do not meet World Commission on Dams guidelines. This change is about ensuring the environmental integrity of the New Zealand Emissions Trading Scheme is maintained,” Mr Groser says.

Climate Change Minister Tim Groser announced today that New Zealand would join the Climate and Clean Air Coalition (CCAC).

The CCAC is a new initiative focussed on climate pollutants such as black carbon, and greenhouse gases including HFCs and methane that have potent but short-lived effects on climate, human health and agriculture productivity. The Coalition is a voluntary partnership initiated by the United States.

Minister for Climate Change Issues Tim Groser has welcomed the assurance of the Environmental Protection Authority (EPA) regarding future access to existing Kyoto carbon markets after 1 January 2013.

“There has been significant ill-informed commentary regarding the impact of the decisions made in Doha regarding access to Kyoto carbon markets from 1 January 2013 which is causing unnecessary concern for many participants in the New Zealand Emissions Trading Scheme.

Minister for Climate Change Issues Tim Groser and Associate Minister Simon Bridges have been leading the New Zealand delegation at the annual Climate Change Ministerial meeting in Doha, Qatar.

“This Conference has been challenging and went a day over time, but we are now well placed to confront the real issue: the negotiation of a long-term comprehensive Climate Change Agreement,” says Mr Groser in Qatar.

Climate Change Minister Tim Groser departs tomorrow for the 18th ministerial climate change conference to be held in Doha, Qatar under the UN Convention on Climate Change. 

“Last year’s conference in Durban made some significant advancements, including the decision to negotiate a new global agreement to replace the Kyoto Protocol by 2020,” Mr Groser says.

Climate Change Minister Tim Groser today announced the Government’s intention to commence consultation on excluding specific types of international Kyoto units from the New Zealand Emissions Trading Scheme (ETS).