Climate Change Minister says getting off coal 'priority', defends oil and gas exploration plans as COP28 comes to end
Watch: Simon Watts on AM. Credits: Images - Greenpeace, Getty Images; Video - AM Climate Change Minister Simon Watts has defended the new Government's plan to resume offshore oil and gas exploration as a way for dependent businesses to transition away from coal. Watts' comments come as COP28 enters its final phase with negotiations on the future of fossil fuels and cutting global emissions ramp up. New Zealand has joined over 100 countries that pledged to triple the world's renewable energy capacity and double energy efficiency by 2030. "I think that just reflects the fact and the importance we place on finding solutions to what is a very difficult global challenge," Watts told AM from Dubai where COP28 is held. It's a global pledge, which means New Zealand does not have to triple its renewable energy capacity, as National's policy is to double renewable energy by 2050. However, the summit hasn't been plain sailing for New Zealand as we were late to sign the pledge, being one of only a few OECD countries missing from the initial list. New Zealand also received the first 'Fossil of the Day' award at COP28 over the Government's decision to repeal the ban on oil and gas exploration. The award is presented by the Climate Action Network to countries who are "doing the most to achieve the least" in terms of progress on climate change. In New Zealand, a billboard was erected on Monday near Parliament in Wellington depicting the three coalition leaders Christopher Luxon, Winston Peters and David Seymour as "climate extremists". The billboard, which was put up by Greenpeace, is in retaliation to the reversal of the offshore oil and gas exploration ban. "With their threat to restart oil and gas exploration, Christopher Luxon's new Government has marked all three leaders as climate extremists," Greenpeace director Russel Norman said. However, Watts said many of our trading partners are facing similar challenges when it comes to oil and gas exploration. "The feedback has been we need to decarbonise, we are committed to that, but for those industries, those hard-to-obey industries, then movement away from coal to gas and then to electrification is very much the direction of travel of pretty much most countries in the world. Getting off coal is absolutely the priority and that's a priority for us as well." "We've said that it's there for our ability to transition and de-carbonise," he added. COP28 ends on Tuesday. Watts travelled to the annual climate summit with former climate change minister James Shaw. When asked about his relationship with Shaw, Watts said while the pair don’t agree on a lot of things, they are both acting in the best interests of New Zealand. "We agree on the targets, we agree on where we need to get to. We may differ on how we get there, and that's a competition of ideas, but the fact that we have a bi-partisan position on the destination is actually a unique aspect for many large countries and actually it's been raised to us in terms of that degree of maturity that New Zealand demonstrates does put us in a leadership position."