NZ government under fire after dropping Kyoto Protocol commitment
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E-mail Xinhua, November 9, 2012
The next decision would be to set a formal target for New Zealand's future emissions track through to 2020 to sit alongside its conditional offer to reduce emissions between 10 percent and 20 percent below 1990 levels.
"Cabinet has agreed in principle to set that target once we know exactly what the final rules will be on some crucial technical issues, including access to international carbon markets. "
Opposition political parties and environmental campaign groups condemned the government's decision, which follows the passage of the Emissions Trading Scheme Bill legislation that has widely criticized for watering down requirements for businesses joining the scheme.
The main opposition Labor Party said the center-right National Party government had humiliated the country on the same day that neighboring Australia and 36 other nations committed to the Kyoto Protocol.
"National doesn't take climate change seriously. It has gutted the emissions trading scheme and has now withdrawn from Kyoto commitments," Labor climate change spokesperson Moana Mackey said in a statement.
"There is no longer an effective tool for limiting our gross carbon emissions."
The opposition Green Party climate change spokesperson, Kennedy Graham, said New Zealand's clean and green reputation and economy were at risk with the decision.
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