Forest owners welcome new carbon market
5 September 2007
NZ FOREST OWNERS
ASSOCIATION
MEDIA RELEASE
IMMEDIATE
Forest owners welcome new carbon market
Forest owners
have welcomed the establishment by TradeMe of a carbon
trading market backed by a robust registry which ensures
buyers and sellers can be confident about who owns the
emission units being traded.
“It could allow free
market, low-cost transactions between forest growers and
emitters who require offset credits. But clearly the final
shape of government policies on credits in Kyoto complaint
forests will determine whether this potential is
realised,” says NZFOA chief executive David
Rhodes.
“The decision by government to implement
an emissions trading scheme has provided an opportunity to
reconsider how forestry might contribute to New Zealand’s
climate change obligations.
“The government will
be releasing its new climate change policy for consultation
later this month. An enlightened climate change policy, in
contrast to the proposals released for discussion last year,
could stimulate considerable activity in this
area.
“With credits come obligations, but forest
owners have always accepted this and are merely seeking
recognition of the positive role that they can
play.”
[ends]