Labour

Climate Issues Minister Nick Smith continues to take advantage of the complexity of the ETS by making misleading claims about the way it works, says Charles Chauvel, Labour's Climate Issues Spokesperson.

A book by Victoria University economist Geoff Bertram and climate change analyst Simon Terry highlights the deep flaws in National’s Emission Trading Scheme, Labour’s climate change spokesman Charles Chauvel said today.

It is becoming clearer by the day that National's changes to the Emissions Trading Scheme are unaffordable, ineffective and unsustainable, says Labour's Climate Change Issues spokesperson Charles Chauvel.

"Developments over the past week show that the National-led Government's only viable option is to strengthen, not weaken, its commitment to dealing with climate change", Labour's energy and climate issues spokesperson Charles Chauvel says.

The end of the Copenhagen Climate Change Summit appears to be neither a resounding failure nor a major milestone on the road to curbing greenhouse gas emissions, said Labour's Climate Change Issues Spokesperson Charles Chauvel.

Mr Chauvel attended the Conference last week.

National’s announcement today of US, Canadian and NZ financial contributions to a Global Agriculture Fund represents a huge missed opportunity for NZ Inc, Labour’s climate change spokesperson Charles Chauvel said.

Mr Chauvel, speaking from Copenhagen, said the fund was a pale comparison the last Labour-led Government's Fast Forward Fund.

The New Zealand Labour Party will be represented at the United Nations Climate Change Conference on Climate Change in Copenhagen (COP15) this month by its Climate Change Issues Spokesperson Charles Chauvel.

"Climate Change is one of the most pressing issues facing the world. Labour is hopeful for concrete action arising out of COP15,” Mr Chauvel said.

Labour's climate change issues spokesperson Charles Chauvel is predicting that the Emissions Trading Law – passed late last month under urgency – will be back before Parliament early in the New Year, thanks to overseas developments that the Government did not foresee.

Labour today welcomed Prime Minister John Key’s belated decision to show the world that New Zealand cares about climate change by joining global leaders in Copenhagen.

Difficulties the Australian Government faces in passing its Emissions Trading Scheme underline the folly of New Zealand forcing through its own legislation under urgency, says Labour Climate Change spokesperson Charles Chauvel.