New Zealand’s Climate Change Minister is “optimistic” a deal can still be reached at COP28 after an draft pact was delayed because it omitted a "phase-out" of fossil fuels.
It was hoped the conference would deliver this global deal, delivering a dramatic phase-out of the burning of oil, gas and coal and align the climate goals of more than 200 nations for the first time.
Speaking from COP28 summit in Dubai, Climate Change Minister Simon Watts told Breakfast that negotiations were "on a knife edge" and the next three or four hours would be critical.
"We need to close a deal and we need to get all countries on board," he said.
Watts emphasised the "huge aspiration and pressure," and said it’s a difficult decision negotiators weren’t taking lightly.
"This is pretty serious... it’s more than pretty serious, it’s the COP that we all need to make a decision," said Watts.
When questioned about the Government’s plan to bring back oil and gas exploration, Watts said National supports phasing out fossil fuels, as do many other countries.
"The phasing down and phasing out of those fossil fuels is not inconsistent with other countries around the world but we need time for them and those difficult hard-to-abate sectors to transition, particularly off coal, and the science backs that."
When questioned about Associate Energy Minister Shane Jones’ claims New Zealand is not going to meet it’s climate targets, and calling them "fairytale aspirations", Watts said he can’t speak for "that individual".
"The coalition agreement is very clear on the absolute and categoric support for net-zero by 2050 and our 2030 targets," he began.
"When you're sitting in a huddle with a climate change minister from the US, the UK, Australia, Japan and most other countries and they are all of the view that we need to be phasing out fossil fuels, take that for what it is," he said.
When asked about other comments Jones made around climate change "hysteria", Watts said he doesn’t endorse "that level of commentary".
"You just simply have to talk to our Pacific neighbours who are facing exponential threats at their homes and communities.
"While I’m here for New Zealand, I’m also here for our Pacific brothers and sisters here too, it’s critical we hold the line for them."
Hipkins: 'Hollow' promises
Opposition leader Chris Hipkins joined Breakfast later in the show. He said: "New Zealand has taken its climate change obligations very seriously over the last six years [while Labour was in power], we've seen our emissions coming down... That required a lot of work.
"The disagreements between people like Simon Watts and Shane Jones would be quite entertaining if it wasn't for the fact that they're so serious, because actually, we have a role to play here.
"We've got an obligation internationally to be reducing our climate emissions and the current government are going in the opposite direction."
Asked specifically about Jones' comments on how realistic New Zealand's climate goals are, the Labour leader was scathing.
"I think Shane Jones is probably being the most honest person in government, that they're not going to reach their 2030 goals or the 2050 goals based on the decision that they've made.
"They're dialing back everything that we put in place that's actually been reducing our emissions."
He said Watts' assertion the Government is committed to meeting its targets is "hollow" considering the measures that are being repealed.
"They're undoing everything that might be required to actually do that.
"They're absolutely achievable goals, but they're going to require [the] Government to make some big decisions," Hipkins added.
"At the moment, all the big decisions that this Government are making are going in the opposite direction."
He defended the previous Labour government's record and said his party's climate change manifesto was bolder than any other party's.
"We had a mini tornado tear through Lower Hutt yesterday.
"These kind of extreme weather events are only going to get worse unless we actually take serious action as a planet."
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