NZ delegation disappoints at Bali

"Despite climate change minister David Parker publicly calling for strong international action on climate change two days before these talks began, the New Zealand delegation in Bali is showing a concerning lack of leadership," said Greenpeace New Zealand climate campaigner Jim Footner from Nusa Dua, where the international negotiations for a post-2012 framework are taking place.

"The risk is that, due to its timid negotiating position so far, New Zealand loses the advantage it's gained from a relatively progressive package of domestic climate measures, compared to other countries.

"Measures like the 10-year moratorium on new fossil fueled electricity generation and an emissions trading scheme had put us in a good position to lead the way on global solutions, but we're certainly not seeing any evidence of that here in Bali.

"Greenpeace calls on the New Zealand government to step up, beginning with an explicit commitment to the range of 25-40% reductions for developed countries below 1990 levels by 2020, as deemed necessary by the IPCC in order to keep warming at or below 2 degrees.

"Support for this range from key developed countries like New Zealand will give confidence to major developing countries that commitments on their part will be not be made in vain.

"The success of the New Zealand government's cornerstone climate policy - the emissions trading scheme- hinges on the successful outcome of post-2012 Kyoto talks, because it's these negotiations which will help set the global price on carbon.

"The New Zealand government's performance here is a key test of its commitment to actually reducing emissions and helping solve climate change. So far it's not looking good."

"If we want to be a global leader on climate and brand ourselves as a
"sustainable nation" as Helen Clark terms it, now's our chance."