Strong agri-sector part of climate change future

National supports an approach to climate change policy based on broad science, technology and an understanding of what other countries are doing, as opposed to ideology, climate change spokesman Todd Muller says.

Muller, with regional economic development spokesman Paul Goldsmith, spoke to business and civic leaders in New Plymouth last week on crossparty negotiations for a consensus on the Zero Carbon Bill being introduced to Parliament next year.

Green Party leader James Shaw set up a climate change committee in April to examine the Emissions Trading Scheme, and plans on increasing renewable energy generation from 85 per cent to 100 per cent by 2035.

It was sensible to have a climate commission to guide future parliaments on how to ‘‘wrestle’’ emissions down over the next 20-30 years, and National has been pretty strong around the principles it expected to see in the Bill, Muller said.

The party wanted to ensure deliberations were informed by broad science, and available technology was recognised when sectors transition away from current activity, as well as having a clear line of sight on what the rest of the world are doing, particularly NZ’s trading partners, he said.

New Zealand carbon emissions totalled 0.17 per cent, but when grouped with other small nations with similar emissions the total rose to 30 per cent globally, larger than the three biggest – United States, China and India.

Shaw has previously said if New Zealand opted out of its obligations things would get worse, not better. ‘‘Shaw wants us to be first, fast and famous but I think leadership and climate change are about building on our strengths, which particularly is agri-business. We are an efficient food producer, one of the best in the world, and we need to maintain and enhance that position and reflect what new technologies we bring into our approach,’’ Muller said. ‘‘But you do that in a proportional way. If you go too hard, and too fast, and too ideological you have bad economic outcomes, and bad climate outcomes, which is our criticism of the government’s oil and gas ban.’’

Reducing cow numbers to try to reduce 45 per cent of agricultural emissions in New Zealand is the wrong approach, he said.