5. Greenhouse Gas Emissions—Proposed Forestry Accounting ChangesDr KENNEDY GRAHAM (Green) to the Minister for Climate Change IssuesGreenhouse Gas Emissions—Proposed Forestry Accounting Changes5. Dr KENNEDY GRAHAM (Green) to the Minister for Climate Change Issues: Will the Government's proposed approach to accounting for forestry and other land uses from 2021 reduce the quantity of greenhouse gas emissions New Zealand is liable for after 2021 when compared with the existing accounting approach; if so by how much?Hon PAULA BENNETT (Minister for Climate Change Issues): Although we have a proposed approach the detail of how it would work how we would transition to it or even confirming whether we will stick with the proposed approach have not been decided yet. So it is not possible to answer the member's question as it is based on hypotheticals.Dr Kennedy Graham: I seek leave to table New Zealand's proposed accounting approach outlined in a Ministry for Primary Industries (MPI) briefing dated 13 November 2015 received under the Official Information Act (OIA) to demonstrate that it is more than hypothetical.Mr SPEAKER: I just need to check—is it freely available if members want it?Dr Kennedy Graham: No it was obtained under the OIA.Mr SPEAKER: That does not actually answer my question. I will hear from the Hon Paula Bennett.Hon PAULA BENNETT: It is actually available on the UN website. We put it there in November last year.Mr SPEAKER: Then in that case I will not be putting the leave. Further supplementary questions?Dr Kennedy Graham: Does the Minister believe that her preferred approach for forestry accounting under the Paris Agreement—even if it is hypothetical in the sense that it has not been finalised—would have environmental integrity through a reduction in net emissions?Hon PAULA BENNETT: It would depend on how we transition to it and what the rules and details are around it.Dr Kennedy Graham: Does she accept given the details in the MPI document that the timing of this preferred accounting approach could mean that it appears that New Zealand's emissions would reduce despite no actual emission reductions taking place in the real world?Hon PAULA BENNETT: I am told that the timing of them looking at it in 2020 is based purely on the Paris Agreement coming into force then and the new rules after Kyoto not necessarily because it is in line with when we might have a whole lot of trees being cut down.Dr Kennedy Graham: As a general judgment on her part does she accept that if Governments reduce emissions on paper but not in the real world where climate change affects real people and ecosystems the real world will be significantly worse off?Hon PAULA BENNETT: It is my judgment—and actually I have said publicly a number of times—that I am very interested in how New Zealand does reduce its emissions. It is part of the work that is going on now that we have got through a variety of task force advisory groups even some of the work that the member is involved in internationally as well—which is part of what we want to do to actually reach that 2030 target as well as looking at forestry and planting more trees and equally looking at international markets. So do I want to reduce emissions in New Zealand? Absolutely. Dr Kennedy Graham: Does the Minister accept that the proposed rule changes in the MPI document if accepted would unjustifiably write off nearly a year's worth of greenhouse gas emissions from the Government's books?Hon PAULA BENNETT: It would completely and utterly depend on how we would transition to it. As the report says averaging is a worthwhile discussion to be having and we are concerned that we want to see more trees being planted as they are being chopped down. At the moment there are disincentives for that so we are looking at what we can do and averaging is one way to get over that. There are other consequences of doing it which I freely admit and that is part of the work that is going on at the moment. Decisions have not been made.Dr Kennedy Graham: Would she be concerned about the possibility that other countries including bigger emitters would follow New Zealand's example and simply change the rules of the game so that they can avoid doing something about climate change themselves as well?Hon PAULA BENNETT: I am certainly advised by the officials who are working internationally and who are looking at the Paris Agreement rules now that we have got them in place that a number of countries are looking at exactly what we are looking at and it is what they need to do. So we are looking domestically through phase 2 of the emissions trading scheme and we are also looking at what the rules of engagement if you like will be now that the Paris Agreement has been signed and ratified.Dr Kennedy Graham: If the Government were to succeed in getting these preferred rules accepted and then implemented the proposed accounting rules would it make its 2030 climate change more ambitious in order to compensate?Hon PAULA BENNETT: It would depend as I have said on what those rules end up being and on what the transition is but certainly all of that will be made transparent and I am sure will be openly debated.