Norman Russel: Questions for Oral Answer — Questions to MinistersText is incorporated into the Bound VolumeNorman Russel: Questions for Oral Answer — Questions to Ministers[Sitting date: 06 June 2013. Volume:690;Page:10854. Text is incorporated into the Bound Volume.]6.Dr RUSSEL NORMAN (Co-Leader—Green) to theMinister for Climate Change Issues: Does he stand by the Minister of Finance’s statement: “Well we’ve got climate change policy built around the emissions trading system which has bipartisan support”?Hon TIM GROSER (Minister for Climate Change Issues): Yes.Dr Russel Norman: Does he accept the scientific consensus that human-induced climate change is real or does he share the view of the finance Minister that well “It [only] may well be”?Hon TIM GROSER: We accept that the science points to risks but we also understand that there are major questions around the numerics around the extent of climate change and around a number of other factors that feed into this equation.Dr Russel Norman: Do those uncertainties around the numerics justify the Government weakening the emissions trading scheme so that it no longer has any effect?Hon TIM GROSER: No we are not weakening the emissions trading scheme; we are maintaining the emissions trading scheme on its current settings.Dr Russel Norman: Does he agree with the latest OECD economic survey of New Zealand which came out a couple of days ago—you might remember it—which recommends strengthening price signals in the emissions trading system or does he think as John Key seems to think that the emissions trading scheme is a far-left idea?Hon TIM GROSER: Once again the member is partially quoting from the OECD survey. What I recall quite clearly although I do not have it in front of me was a veryclear statement that said the New Zealand emissions trading scheme is the most advanced scheme of its type in the world.Dr Russel Norman: Does he agree with the OECD in its recent country report about New Zealand that “encouraging investment in greenhouse gas mitigation technologies and transport infrastructure will require stronger price signals from the emissions trading scheme” or does he think that a stronger emissions trading scheme is some kind of far-left idea as John Key seems to think?Hon TIM GROSER: Quite clearly a stronger international price would drive an adjustment in a faster direction but the underlying policy is that we are aligning ourselves with world prices. At the same time our proportion of renewable energy is going rapidly towards the 90 percent target.Dr Russel Norman: Does this OECD report not demonstrate once again that the international economic mainstream is actually much closer to the Green Party policy of a stronger carbon price rather than the National policy of completely gutting the emissions trading scheme which is an extremist policy by international standards?Hon TIM GROSER: No I do not accept that at all. It is a selective reading once again of the assessment.Dr Russel Norman: How can the Minister continue to argue that New Zealand is being responsible and mainstream on climate change policy when New Zealand is the fifth-worst country in the OECD for total greenhouse gas emissions on a per capita basis; are we not at the extremes of the OECD on climate change policy?Hon TIM GROSER: The member knows perfectly well why New Zealand is in that position on a per capita basis but the reality is that since 48 percent of the emissions come from agriculture we are the most carbon-efficient major agricultural country in the world. If we were to reduce our emissions by killing agriculture as the member consistently advocates we would actually worsen climate change internationally.