"In his statement Tim Groser talks about aligning with 'major economies' omitting that many other countries, and the European Union, are in the pro-Kyoto camp and want to take real action to combat climate change," Graham said in a statement.

"Australia understands that its businesses need certainty for the future and that by acting now it can save money."

International conservation group WWF called on the New Zealand government to set a legally binding commitment and policies to cut emissions.

Greenpeace New Zealand said the backwards move could do irreparable damage to the country's global standing and economy.

According to the United Nations, the major distinction between the Protocol and the Convention is that the Convention just encourages industrialized countries to stabilize emissions, while the Protocol commits them to doing so.

Adopted in Kyoto, Japan, in 1997 and implemented in 2005, the Protocol recognized that developed countries, such as New Zealand, were principally responsible for the high level of emissions and placed a greater burden on them under the principle of "common but differentiated responsibilities."

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