WELLINGTON, Nov. 17 (Xinhua) -- New Zealand intends to become a leader in the global fight against climate change, Climate Change Minister James Shaw told a major United Nations climate change conference, according to a government release on Friday.
Shaw delivered New Zealand's national statement on Thursday midnight (NZ time) at the ongoing 23rd session of the Conference of the Parties (COP 23) to the UN Convention on Climate Change.
"I have set out to the international community our new government's plans to reduce climate pollution at home, and remain actively engaged with the international effort," said Shaw, adding that the future of New Zealand's electricity system is in renewables.
"New Zealand is a small country and our emissions are less than one percent of global emissions, but size is not an excuse for inaction," the minister said.
"If you add up all the countries who contribute less than one percent, we collectively contribute almost a quarter of global climate pollution," he said.
Fiji's leadership of the COP23 meeting has put the global spotlight on the vulnerability of low-lying Pacific Island nations to increased storms, droughts, and sea level rise caused by climate change, Shaw noted.
"The most effective thing we can do for the Pacific is to reduce our climate pollution as much as we can and encourage other countries to do the same," he said.
Overnight, New Zealand also joined an international "Powering Past Coal" alliance committed to phasing out the use of coal for electricity generation, led by Canada and Britain.
