Kyoto plan rests on poll result

By SIMON COLLINS

New Zealand's ratification of the Kyoto Protocol on climate change may have to wait until other countries move first, as a result of Saturday's early election.

A bill giving the Government power to ratify the protocol was not passed before Parliament was dissolved for the election.

Now, a survey of parties' positions on the issue, published by the Vote for the Environment group this week, has found the election may rob Labour of majority support for early ratification.

Two parties which may hold crucial votes in the new Parliament, NZ First and United Future, say they will support ratification only when other countries do.

National opposes ratification unless Australia ratifies, and Act opposes ratification "given the evident unwillingness of the world's major emitters to take real action".

Labour, the Greens, Progressive Coalition and the Alliance support immediate ratification, but may no longer have a majority in Parliament after Saturday.

The protocol would require New Zealand to cut greenhouse gases, believed to cause global warming, back to 1990 levels by 2008-2012.

European countries including Germany and Britain ratified the protocol on May 31 and Japan accepted it on June 4. But the United States and Australia oppose the protocol, and other key countries have yet to decide.

NZ First's policy is to ratify "at a pace with our major trading partners and once a coherent plan has been formulated to allow the appropriate targets to be reached".

United Future leader Peter Dunne said New Zealand should wait until "a time closer to everyone else", but would not insist on waiting for Australia and the US.

Labour has proposed a tax of up to $25 a tonne of carbon dioxide by 2007 to force industry to reduce emissions. Mr Dunne said this was "about right".

National spokesman David Carter said his party would look to "economic instruments such as tradeable carbon quotas".

The Greens, Alliance, and Progressive Coalition favour a carbon tax. NZ First told the survey it was undecided on the issue.

Environment and conservation organisations

nzherald.co.nz/climate

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