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Forest methane scientists hose down media reports
Forest methane scientists hose down media reports
The authors of a study which revealed for the first time that growing plants emit the greenhouse gas methane now say their work has been widely misinterpreted by many in the media.
The results of the study, which were published in the January 12 edition of Nature, led some commentators to incorrectly conclude that planting trees to combat global warming was a waste of time.
The Kyoto Protocol encourages forest planting because growing trees capture the main greenhouse gas, carbon dioxide, from the atmosphere and 'lock it up' in plant material. In a media statement posted last week on the website of the Max Planck Institute for Nuclear Physics, principal author Max Keppler says the study findings are only 'preliminary'.
But he estimates that methane emissions by plants may reduce their carbon uptake by up to 4 percent. "

Greens take swipe at government over climate change
Green Party co-leader Jeanette Fitzsimons has taken a swipe at the government over what the party views as the failure to adequately address the threat of climate change.
Ms Fitzsimons has delivered her annual State of the Planet speech at a Green party picnic near Blenheim on Sunday.
She told the gathering Labour alone has to take the blame for scrapping the carbon tax - part of New Zealand's Kyoto commitments - despite coming under pressure from New Zealand First and United Future.
Ms Fitzsimons says that Labour has abandoned the simplest and cheapest way of making the polluter pay and the Greens will hold the government to account over this issue in the coming Parliamentary term."

Ex-EPA Chiefs Criticize Bush on Warming
We need leadership, and I don't think we're getting it,' Russell Train said Wednesday at an Environmental Protection Agency symposium commemorating the agency's 35th anniversary.
Added Bill Ruckelshaus: 'I don't think there's a commitment in this administration.'
They were among five former EPA heads - six Republicans and one Democrat - who accused the Bush administrations of neglecting global warming and other environmental problems.
Train said slowing the growth of 'greenhouse' gases isn't enough.
'To sit back and just push it away and say we'll deal with it sometime down the road is dishonest to the people and self-destructive' said Train, who succeeded Ruckelshaus in the Nixon and Ford administrations. Ruckelshaus was the first EPA chief."

America's fuel initiative praised
The New Zealand Business Council for Sustainable Development is praising America's plans to introduce tax credits encouraging people to buy fuel-efficient, low emission vehicles.
The proposed new policy will give those who buy or lease hybrid cars and trucks a tax credit of up to $US3,400. The plan is seen as a key way to reduce petrol consumption, emissions of air pollutants and greenhouse gas emissions.
The Business Council wants the New Zealand Government to provide grants of as much as $3,000 for vehicles with lower emissions."

Asia-Pacific Partnership on Clean Development and Climate
Communique
We met at Sydney for our first Ministerial meeting of the Asia-Pacific Partnership on Clean Development and Climate on 11-12 January 2006.
We adopted a Charter that sets out a framework to implement the Vision Statement of the Partnership announced in Vientiane on 28 July 2005. At the core of this vision is our conviction of the urgent need to pursue development and poverty eradication. By working together we will be better able to meet our increased energy needs and associated challenges, including those related to air pollution, energy security, and greenhouse gas intensity. "

Climate Conference Adelaide 20-21 February 2006
The 2nd Australia–New Zealand Climate Change and Business Conference will explore business opportunities and risks associated with climate change. It will build on the success of the inaugural conference (Auckland 2004) where feedback overwhelmingly called for this follow-up event. This event will be the pre-eminent climate change and business conference in the Asia-Pacific region. Book now!

Environmental Defence Society - What purpose does the new Asia Pacific Pact on climate change serve?
Just last month at the Montreal summit, the biggest polluter in the world, the US, did not even want to discuss climate change action after 2012, such is that government's antipathy to anything remotely associated with Kyoto. Indeed, the US negotiator, Harlan Watson, walked out of the talks at one stage and then embarrassingly had to return when it became clear that not one country supported the US position.
Another month, another year, and Under Secretary of State for Democracy and Global Affairs Paula Dobriansky will now represent the US at another climate change forum. There's no chance of her staging a walk-out from this one, however. The newly formed Asia Pacific Pact is the United States' baby. Not unexpectedly Australia, as the only other developed country not to ratify Kyoto, is a member with China, India, South Korea and Japan making up the numbers. "

Environmental Defence Society: Why New Zealand wasn't at the Sydney Climate Change Conference
Alasdair Thompson from the Employers and Manufacturers Association has asked why New Zealand's Climate Change Minister wasn't at the recent Sydney Climate Change Conference. The reasons are that it wasn't a conference, it wasn't open to the public and New Zealand wasn't invited.
The Sydney event (earlier this week) was a meeting of the newly formed Asia Pacific Pact on Climate Change. It is a multi-lateral meeting of governments that are parties to that Pact. New Zealand is not a party and should not be because the Pact is unlikely to achieve much. It is basically a grouping of the anti-Kyoto club lead by the USA and Australia."

Australia cautioned on carbon credits
An expert on carbon credits says Australia should wait until better environmental technology has been found to back carbon credit trading.
Australia is one of the prime movers in the Asia-Pacific Partnership on Clean Development and Climate, which held its initial meeting in Sydney last week. Warwick McKibbin -- an economist and fellow of the Brookings Institution in Washington, D.C. -- told The Australian that focusing on technological development first means governments are taking all the risk.
"If the government picks the wrong winners, it will be the government's fault," he said. "If it doesn't put enough in, it's the government's fault and if there's an environmental catastrophe, it will be the government picking up the pieces."

Effort urgently required on climate change - McCain
America was not doing enough to combat climate change, visiting United States Senator John McCain said in Christchurch yesterday.
Leading a delegation of fellow Republican senators on a fleeting visit to New Zealand, Mr McCain told reporters he had viewed the effects of climate change both here and in Antarctica.
The delegation of Senators McCain (Arizona), Susan Collins (Maine) and John Sununu (New Hampshire) has been on a fact-finding visit to Antarctica to observe research work on climate and atmosphere"

First meeting for 'Kyoto rival'
The first ministerial meeting of a controversial alliance promising economic growth with low carbon emissions has opened in Sydney.
The Asia-Pacific Partnership on Clean Development and Climate aims to develop and promote technologies such as 'clean coal', nuclear and renewables.
Green groups say the body aims to emasculate the Kyoto Protocol.
The meeting involves politicians and industrialists from Australia, China, India, Japan, South Korea and the US.
US Secretary of State Condoleeza Rice was due to be the highest-profile attendee, but withdrew a few days ago citing concerns over the Middle East in the wake of Ariel Sharon's illness.
Australia's Environment Minister Ian Campbell does not believe her absence will affect the gathering.
It certainly would have been fantastic if the US secretary of state could have been here," he said.

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