NZ emissions changes make farce of climate change commitments: official
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E-mail Xinhua, September 11, 2012
NZ emissions changes make farce of climate change commitments: official
WELLINGTON, Sept. 11 (Xinhua) -- A senior New Zealand environment official Tuesday branded the government's fledgling emissions trading scheme (ETS) a farce that undermined the country 's climate change commitments.
Parliamentary Commissioner for the Environment Dr Jan Wright said in a submission on the government's ETS amendment Bill that she was particularly concerned that it locked in government subsidies for the polluters.
"Right now we're subsidizing 95 percent of big polluters' emissions. That was due to be phased out, albeit too slowly, but the Bill will leave those subsidies in place indefinitely," Wright said in a statement.
"I am very concerned that the review process that would address these subsidies along with other ETS issues will no longer be compulsory, but will occur only if the minister wants it to," she said.
Heavily subsidized polluters had no incentive to reduce their emissions when the tab was being picked up by the taxpayer, she said.
"And if polluters are not paying for their emissions, they've no incentive to reduce them," said Wright.
"The government's own estimate of the cost of this Bill to the taxpayer in just the next four years is over 330 million NZ dollars (268.22 million U.S. dollars)."
The ETS was New Zealand's main system for reducing greenhouse gas emissions.
"Hollowing it out like this makes a farce of our climate change commitments," said Wright.
The government has been gradually watering down the ETS and raising subsidies for polluters since the ETS was established in 2008.
Subsidies for big polluters were originally intended to stop by 2030, but in 2009 the subsidies were increased, and the current amendment proposes continuing subsidies indefinitely.
In July, the government announced changes that included leaving agricultural emissions out of the ETS until at least 2015 as well as maintaining a "fixed price option" of 25 NZ dollars (20 U.S. dollars) that capped the price firms would pay if carbon prices rose internationally.
In April, the government controversially said it would submit New Zealand's greenhouse-gas heavy agriculture industry to the ETS only if the country's trading partners stepped up efforts to stave off climate change.
It said it was proposing a provision for a maximum three-year postponement of the agriculture sector's inclusion, subject to a review in 2014.
According to the New Zealand government's climate change information website, the agriculture sector is the largest single source of greenhouse gas emissions in New Zealand, making up approximately 48 percent of the country's total emissions and its emissions are still growing.
The opposition Green Party Tuesday called on the government to drop its proposed changes to the ETS after the Parliamentary Commissioner's submission.
"The government's changes mean polluters will pay less, leaving the taxpayer to pick up the tab," Green Party climate change spokesperson Dr Kennedy Graham said in a statement.
"The point of the ETS is supposed to be to reduce our emissions- - not paying polluters to pollute." Enditem
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