ETS: Walking Into ‘Unchartered Waters’

The marchers—farmers, Act Party supporters and Climate Realists, want the government to stop the ETS.
ETS: Walking Into ‘Unchartered Waters’
Anti-ETS protesters outside parliament, Wellington. (Scoop)
6/27/2010
Updated:
10/1/2015
<a><img src="https://www.theepochtimes.com/assets/uploads/2015/09/Protestors+demanding+the+government+drop+the+Emissions+Trading+Scheme+outside+parliament+in+Wellington.jpg" alt="Anti-ETS protesters outside parliament, Wellington. (Scoop)" title="Anti-ETS protesters outside parliament, Wellington. (Scoop)" width="320" class="size-medium wp-image-1818092"/></a>
Anti-ETS protesters outside parliament, Wellington. (Scoop)

AUCKLAND, New Zealand—Who really knows what the final cost of the Emissions Trading Scheme (ETS) will be, says Federated Farmers campaigner, Don Nicolson, who says New Zealanders believe they are walking into “uncharted waters”.

The ETS is a tax on greenhouse gas emissions which comes under the Kyoto protocol signed by developing nations. Its aim is to reduce atmospheric pollution which is blamed for the warming of the earth.

Everyone will be affected says Mr Nicolson. And no-one knows exactly how much each person will pay as the figures quoted by the government are always changing.

Commenting on the protest march to parliament earlier this week, organised by the Climate Realists, he said there was a belief among the participants that “New Zealand is going into unchartered waters where no-one else is going ... .”

The marchers—farmers, Act Party supporters and Climate Realists, want the government to stop the ETS.

Dr Nick Smith, Climate Change minister admits that the ETS is complicated but that New Zealand needed to do ‘its fair share’ in reducing greenhouse gas emissions.

The ETS is not meant to drive up costs, assured the minister from the beehive, but to limit the increase in emissions in New Zealand.

But for Mr Nicolson, it is just another tax. “Its a tax on the sheep’s back and the kilogram of milk solids and a kernel of grain. It’s not going to alter the climate one bit.”

Electricity, petrol, heating, food—the price of everything New Zealanders buy will increase, says John Boscawen, spokesperson on climate change for the Act Party, the only political party not supporting the ETS.

Mr Boscawen has been talking to people up and down the country for the last few months and says he will continue right up until the 1 July.

Mr Boscawen has estimated that the average cost per person will be about $5 a week or $250 a year—and then in 2013 there will be another round of petrol and electricity increases.

“But it will particularly affect exporters and farmers because it will make our exporters and farmers less competitive,” he says. Dairy farmers will be paying around $3,900 a year and sheep and beef farmers $1500 a year.

“Our top four trading partners are United States, Australia, China, and Japan and none of those countries have an emissions trading scheme.”

Mr Boscawen doubts that the average New Zealander understands how the ETS works.

He says that the government will be allocating the forestry sector nearly $2 billion worth of credits before 31 December 2012.
“While some of the money dished out will be used to plant more trees, most of it will go to trees already planted.
“I dont think New Zealanders understand that.”

“I think privately there is a lot of support for my view. I think a number of members of the National Party are not happy about what’s happening but they are committed to supporting their government.

“I would like to think that the government will back down and change its mind before the ETS commences on the 1 July. As we get closer to July that is looking unlikely.”

The Sustainable Council of New Zealand noted in a press release this week that even after paying ETS charges, New Zealanders will end up paying a $1.1 billion net liability if the country does not lower its emissions to satisfy the Kyoto Protocol. This figure could reach $5.7 billion depending on carbon prices.