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Source: ONE News
A farmer lobby campaigning against agricultural emissions eventually being included in the government's emissions trading scheme says it is an anomaly for aviation fuel to escape the scheme.
"International aviation fuel into and from New Zealand is totally exempt from New Zealand's ETS," said Federated Farmers president Don Nicolson.
"The big economies and sectors, like international aviation and maritime transport, work in self-interest and efficiency," he said.
"New Zealand is behaving like the 97 pound weakling by obediently doing what world leaders say but not as they do."
But aviation sources said New Zealand's staged implementation of an ETS, starting at the end of this month will capture companies which import fuel or remove fuel from a refinery at more than 50,000 litres a year.
And purchasers of more than 10 million litres of aviation jet fuel can opt into the scheme, though so far, Air New Zealand is the only carrier to opt-in.
Nicolson said New Zealand taking a lead on emissions charges for aviation fuel was like transferring Dan Carter and Richie McCaw to the Georgian rugby team for the World Cup because it would help global rugby.
"So our ETS makes it more costly to travel within New Zealand but not when it comes to jetting off to Cancun in Mexico, for the next big United Nations climate conference."
The International Civil Aviation Organisation is reported to be under pressure to create a framework for global emissions trading to introduce at its next assembly in September.
The European Union has said aviation will be folded into its emissions trading scheme from 2012.
