ETS will survive after Kyoto

Land owners planting carbon forests have been assured that the Emission Trading Scheme will survive when the Kyoto Protocol ends in 2012.



Environment minister Nick Smith, agriculture Minister David Carter and Prime Minister John Key spoke at forest industry conferences recently and emphasised the importance of new forest plantings to New Zealand's future.

They also went out of their way to reassure would-be tree planters about the future of the ETS

Environment minister Nick Smith says forestry is a long-term investment and land owners need certainty about the ETS rules.

'The preference of the government is that there is a post-Kyoto agreement.
'But if it doesn't happen you can have a high level of confidence than an ETS framework will remain in place, as will the treatment of forestry within it.”

He says he cannot speak for future governments, but emphasises the fact that all the major political parties support an ETS.


Nick says it is difficult to get a read on the long-term prospects for an international agreement to replace Kyoto.

This may become clearer at the next round of United Nations climate change talks which are being convened in Cancun, Mexico, later this year.

If a replacement for the Protocol was not agreed upon, he says the world may end up with something less prescriptive, along the lines of the Copenhagen Declaration.

If this happened, the government would consider making changes to some of the problematic rules that apply to forest emissions under Kyoto – like the conversion of trees to carbon dioxide at harvest – which are reflected in the ETS.

But its first preference was not to make changes without international agreement.

Forest Owners Association chief executive David Rhodes says he welcomes the ministers' assurances.

'Some forest owners have been concerned that the failure of world leaders to agree on a replacement for the Kyoto Protocol might mean an end to the ETS and with it, the ability to earn an income from selling carbon credits.

'The statements by Dr Smith in particular, backed by supporting comments by the prime minister and the minister of forestry, have allayed many of those fears.

'At present land, log and carbon prices, forestry is a sound investment, especially on marginal hill country.

'But once you've planted your trees you have to wait at least 10 election cycles before harvest – that's a long time when a large part of your income depends on something as politically charged as carbon pricing.”

David says the Forest Owners Association will be working closely with the New Zealand negotiators in Cancun and beyond.

'Many countries now have emission trading schemes and New Zealand will continue have one for the foreseeable future.

'As the prime minister said, the ETS is an important part of the under-pinning to brand New Zealand.
"It's not going away any time soon.”

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1 comment

Scam of the century

Posted on 18-10-2010 13:13 | By SpeakUp

A clear distinction ought to be made between human generated change and natural climate change. Climate Change is happening, but don't believe all the political and mainstream media hype. The causality of CO2 in regard to climate change is highly questionable. True, population growth, pollution, deforestation, agricultural soil destruction and destruction of ecological systems will make human future hell. Yet, instead of focusing to curb this hell, only CO2 is used as a convenient because taxable scapegoat. When people discuss climate change, every seemingly related issue is used to find causality in order to support a hidden agenda. Climate has of course to do with the environment, biological habitats and ecosystems. It is connected to pollution, industrial growth, and profit. People are concerned, dynamic and acting. But the system's profitable intricacy stifles necessary change. All the main players -from politicians and scientists to big corporations and the United Nations- benefit from instilling fear into billions of human beings over the unproven theory of man-made global warming. A new class of profiteer has emerged, either in it for pure profit (and a whole ‘industry' is emerging) or for political benefit. The new system, where a huge, very diversified group tries to make a profit from the productive part of society is called CARBON TRADING. At last, the banksters, political cronies and stockbrokers (Key's buddies) have found another very comfy commodity to exploit and freeload from and keep the rest of the population in struggling occupation: CARBON DEBT. NO, NOT Carbon Credits which will be traded, but Carbon DEBITS. Remember that the core of our morose system is DEBT itself (see the first half of the movie ‘Zeitgeist Addendum'). Carbon Credits are Debt For The Masses. The scams get more and more elaborate, the truth gets more and more fragmented and skewed. Carbon Credit trading is a smokescreen. Carbon ‘Credit' Trading will do nothing to better the planet but will be a feast for systemic parasites like banksters, politicians, corporates and polluters. It's the Scam Of The Century. Our economic system is based on infinite growth yet reliant on a planet with finite resources. Our decision-making is based on finite wisdom yet exploited by infinite profiteering.


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