Tim Groser

Wellington, Sept 17 NZPA - New Zealand will push at climate change meetings in New York for greater investment in technology to reduce agriculture emissions.

Associate Minister for Climate Change Issues Tim Groser leaves today for New York.

He will join Prime Minister John Key at the UN Secretary General's Summit on Climate Change and the pair will participate in a session on food security.

"Food security and climate change present twin challenges. The world needs to grow more food but must do so without growing emissions," Mr Groser said.

"While in New York, I will also discuss with other countries New Zealand's proposal to establish a global research alliance on agricultural greenhouse gas mitigation.

"We see potential for such an alliance to deliver a much-needed increase in international effort and investment in this area, and to better coordinate existing work," Mr Groser said.

He will also attend the informal Greenland Dialogue -- a meeting of climate change Ministers -- and an OECD Sustainable Development meeting comparing mitigation effort, chaired by former environment minister Simon Upton.

"These meetings need to build common ground on what the key political issues are and how to resolve them," Mr Groser said.

"We have the opportunity in New York for leaders and ministers to get beyond political rhetoric and focus on real concerns."

A major climate change conference is being held in Copenhagen in December. More than 190 nations will meet to agree a broader successor to the UN's Kyoto Protocol, which obliges developed nations to cut emissions of greenhouse gases, mainly from burning fossil fuels, until 2012.

"New Zealanders will want to know that the deal is fair and the efforts they are called upon to make will lead to a safer future," Mr Groser said.

"By any measure, New Zealand is in good shape to play a useful role in international climate change negotiations. We have a credible and realistic offer on the table -- a 10 to 20 percent reduction on our 1990 emissions, which is not far behind the most ambitious offer on the table from any developed country."

Mr Groser said the Government's Emissions Trading Scheme would be passed before the Copenhagen meeting.

"Both internationally and domestically, New Zealand is well positioned to make a contribution to global efforts to address the challenge of climate change."