British PM asks NZ to join plan on climate change

Reuters

NICE TO MEET YOU: Prime Minister Helen Clark discussed climate change, Myanmar and Afghanistan - but not Iraq - in her first meeting with Gordon Brown since he became British PM.

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New Zealand has been asked to join a British-led plan aimed at developing an international carbon market to combat climate change.
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Prime Minister Helen Clark today accepted an offer from her British counterpart, Gordon Brown, to join a group investigating ways to ensure carbon markets in different countries are compatible to allow international trading.

The offer came during an hour long meeting between the pair at Downing Street in London, where Miss Clark is two days into a week-long European visit, and comes after New Zealand announced its own trading scheme last month.

She said carbon trading - where companies that emit greenhouse gases above a certain point buy "carbon credits" from carbon-neutral or negative organisations such as forests - was a major theme of the meeting.

"[Mr Brown's] looking to position London as the centre of carbon trading for the future. I think it's an issue of getting these emissions trading schemes up and running and trying to make them compatible as well."

A spokesman for Miss Clark said later Mr Brown had asked New Zealand to join Britain, Germany and some United States states which are already looking at ways to ensure compatibility between countries which set up their own carbon trading schemes.

The New Zealand Government last month unveiled plans for a carbon trading market, which would mainly operate domestically but could also trade internationally.

It is planned to cover all sectors of the economy and all greenhouse gases by 2013.

Carbon trading is seen as a crucial step towards curbing climate change as it encourages big polluters to cut emissions while rewarding companies that are carbon neutral or carbon negative.

Climate change is shaping up as a major election issue in Britain, where the opposition Conservative Party is developing several high-profile policies, including changing the tax regime for air travel.

Mr Brown is likely to be keen to be seen to be taking a lead on the issue, especially as there is speculation he could call an election as early as next month as his Labour party enjoys a comfortable lead in the polls.

Miss Clark said she and Mr Brown also discussed the crackdown on democracy protests in Burma - a fitting subject as protesters calling for action against the Burmese regime chanted from the end of Downing St throughout the afternoon.

Earlier, she met Air Marshall Stuart Peach, chief of Britain's defence intelligence, for talks which centred on Afghanistan.

She said she was heartened that Britain - which is scaling down its commitment in Iraq to concentrate more on Afghanistan - recognised there was a need for a political solution, including bringing former Taliban fighters into the process.

However, she said she was disappointed Britain was still allowing Fijian soldiers to join its army, despite international sanctions following last year's coup - the fourth in 19 years.

Though the issue was not raised with Mr Brown, she said it had been discussed between New Zealand and British officials earlier this year.

"We feel it would be helpful if they didn't recruit from Fiji at this time, because it sends a signal which is unhelpful."

Miss Clark's comments came after she was asked about the British policy during a press conference outside Downing St. New Zealand instituted a ban on military links, as well as several other sanctions, after the latest coup.

Miss Clark also met special Middle East envoy and former British prime minister Tony Blair early this morning (NZ time) to discuss his work in the peace process between Israel and Palestine.

- © Fairfax NZ News